


Crossing Fields - A Twin Byleth AU

by TheStoryTellingMage



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Twins, Alternate Version of Crimson Flower, An idea that wont leave me alone, Gen, Good Parent Jeralt Reus Eisner, Lots of plot, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Time Skip, Pre-Time Skip, Some shipping maybe, Started as a Joke, Trying to stay close to canon, Twins, Update when I can
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:35:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 22,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25447723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheStoryTellingMage/pseuds/TheStoryTellingMage
Summary: They say that time is as cruel and unfeeling as the battlefield. Bells learns this the hard way when her once normal life is turned upside down and discovers her twin. Guarded by the ever enigmatic Rhea. Dark truths and secrets will rise. Why were they separated? Who is this girl that the twins can see? Why is Rhea so protective of Byleth?Just who is Rhea and what is she hiding?
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

\--Crossing Fields: A Twin Byleth AU--

AN: Hello! Thank you for checking this out. This is going to follow the canon… mostly. An altered version of Crimson Flower. Bells and Byleth each have their respective default outfits. (Bells being female Byleth.)

This story began as a joke between some friends, then it stumbled and rolled into this and… here we are. A joke taken a bit too seriously and now I have this entire AU in my head that I have to get onto here. I’m using base Three Houses for some idea of how things go and changing it accordingly. 

Please comment and all that fun stuff but most of all,

Enjoy~

\--Chapter 1: Awakening--

\--Part One: White Clouds--

A void of nothing but pure black would permeate the area. A lone woman opened her eyes, seeing the void of nothing. The space had no shape, just… blackness. Nothing but the void to keep her company. The female took a step forward,.A soft green light entered the room before the area was illuminated quickly It was as if someone had just snapped their fingers and light came into the room, though it wasn't clear who or what caused the light to exist. With the female slowly adjusting to the light, the room came to focus. The light itself was limited to just a small square area, then leading up to the stairs and the throne before her, but still there nonetheless.

Despite having light come into the room, it was limited, taking a closer look at the area in front of her, was a set of stone stairs leading up to a throne up to the very seat. The back of the seat being quite tall with the top being obscured by darkness. It would be in this moment that the woman would notice someone sitting on a throne.

With a small yawn, the girl sat up. Her long, flowing green hair that was somewhat braided in places would be the first thing the woman noticed. Next would be how she was about half her size. The green haired girl would open and rub her eyes. Taking a closer look at the small girl's clothing would reveal a rather scant outfit of flowing, slit fabric held together by with chains and other ornamentation, covered only by robe flourished with soft silk, dyed with with purple and gold accents that went down to just before her feet as to make her not trip. The rest of her outfit would consist of a tiara sitting atop her head.

"Oh my. How did you get in here?" The green haired girl asked, raising an eyebrow. It wasn't as if they hadn't met before, quite the contrary. They had seen each other quite a few times, especially when the azure haired female was a young girl. As the female had aged, she had seen her less, but would appear every so often to her.

"It seems fate still has us tied together. You were… ah yes. Bells, was it?" The smaller form continued, watching the person below her rather intensely, waiting for an answer. The taller women nodded promptly.

"You… You're my friend that nobody else could see. Whenever I pointed you out, everyone would dismiss you. I had a name for you… So… Sothee?" Bells finally let out, letting her voice carry to the smaller girl with ease, a tone of soft confusion. Bells never had an issue speaking her mind and this was clearly no different.

The green haired girl would stand from her throne, stretch, and began to descend the stairs. She would be slow and methodical about this, as to not trip.

"You always did have that name for me. However, you are incorrect about my name. Memory still fails me greatly, yet I remember it. My name is Sothis. Also known as, The Beginning." She stood at eye level with Bells, a few steps from the bottom of the staircase. The girl then crossed her arms, musing aloud. This would become something of a habit of hers. Sothis was never one to keep things to herself, she was much like Bells in that way. She always spoke her mind, no matter how crass or rude it sounded. Never looking before she lept, only egged on by Sothis at an early age.

"Hm… Who called me such? I do not know. Yet… it is time to begin." The small girl let out with a small yawn. Then returning to her throne above, she sat down, and promptly fell asleep, leaning on her left arm to do so. Before long, the void would once again consume the area and Bells fell into darkness.

Bells wanted to say something, but being as Sothis was, it seldom left time to interject or insert someone else's voice unless she asked for it. This, unfortunately, was one of those times.

====== 

[Day Twenty, Great Tree Moon, Imperial Year 1180, 4:30 AM]

“Hey. Time to wake up.” A soft yet gruff voice would let out, shaking Bells a little bit as he did so. Bells yawned, having a small case of bedhead, though since she kept her hair short, it wouldn’t be much of a problem to fix in just a moment or two with brushing her hair. It was still dark out, that much was for certain. The first thing Bells saw was a rough looking man, face chiseled from the battles he had faced in his many years as a mercenary, Jeralt. Her father. The two had stayed in Remire Village for the night, the people there being more than thankful to have a mercenary with such great renown. His Kindness. He valued life more than anything else because he took it so often. He protected the weak. If he saw someone being picked on, he would step in. Just his name or appearance would strike fear in the hearts of bandits everywhere. Finally. He believed even a mercenary should have some morals. He wouldn't ever strike someone who couldn't fight back. Petty thieves were often Jeralt's targets. Yet he would avoid bloodshed. Merely talking to them was usually enough to get them to stop.

"Father? I shall be ready in just a few minutes." The woman yawned, pushing the rather heavy wool blanket away from her and sitting up. It wasn't too particularly cold last night but the people there still gave Jeralt and his group the warmest blankets they had to spare. The rooms they had been given weren't too bad either, nothing super luxurious but not skimping on anything that would make the experience uncomfortable. Looking around, the room was clearly a spare. one with plenty of boxes full of various items, and bookshelves stuffed with lots of books. Nothing to make the room feel cramped, but it was still worth noting. Jeralt looked away for a moment, motioning his small group of men to get ready to move out before looking at Bells. His daughter always had this certain look when something was on her mind. Despite Bells being quite loud, she easily got lost in thought over complicated topics and wouldn't open up about them until she had thought about it sufficiently and come to her own conclusion. That was, if she didn't work on gut response.

Jeralt wasn't the best at emotions and talking about feelings but he always wanted to try to connect with his daughter. That wasn't to say that they had a strained relationship, quite the opposite. The mercenary had always tried to maintain his close relationship with his child.. 

"Hey. What's on your mind? Was it a dream or something?" Jeralt frowns lightly, concern filling his voice as Bells stood up. Bells could be an odd child at times. Though it was often recommended to her, Bells ignored the advice to take off her armor when she slept. Her reasoning was that they could be attacked at any time. Which was true to some extent, a lot of bandits would like to claim that they killed the almighty Jeralt: The Bladebreaker. To which her father would point that they had a group to watch the camp at night, Bells just shrugged. Better to be safe than sorry she thought whenever the conversation came up.

“Yeah. There was this little girl I saw. You know the imaginary friend I had when I was a child? She was in there. It was… strange.” Bells responded with a soft tone of confusion. Ah yes. Bells’ childhood imaginary friend. Jeralt always felt somewhat guilty when the topic came up, he always wanted to be able to let Bells make friends, she certainly didn’t have issues getting along with other kids. It was just, being a mercenary meant you lived a nomadic lifestyle and you rarely stayed in one place for more than a few days at a time. By the time Bells had made a friend, she wouldn’t see them for months, maybe even years at a time. As such, Jeralt had let her keep the imaginary friend. “Sothee” or something along those lines. Bells, for some reason just, didn't interact with Jeralt's men. Truth was that she felt strange talking to them, like there was some major disconnect between her and them, despite living together in a sense. Especially when she was young, she would actively avoid talking to them. Other kids just felt more natural to be around.

“I’ve never really understood dreams, but. It’s not something that’s going to harm you in some way. I would brush it off, we got a busy day ahead of us. We’re traveling north to go meet a noble in Kingdom territory wanting some escort to Alliance soil. Never really liked him but he's paying well.” Jeralt replies. He wanted to connect to her, he really did. But Bells could be so vague at times that it was hard to get information out of her. The father intended to ask more about it, but they had a long day of marching ahead and it would be for another time.

It would only be now that Jeralt noticed how everyone else was already prepared and outside. All the beds were made and no sign of the group being there at all. The leader was about to mention that fact. Even opening his mouth, only to be interrupted by one of his subordinates. Clad in armor and panting somewhat, visibly alarmed. He was quick to get the news out to his leader.

"Jeralt sir!" the male voice spoke up, facing his leader as the soft clinking of his chainmail made slight noise. The leader would raise an eyebrow, rarely would a situation like this would come up.

“There are three kids outside, said they are being chased by bandits.” He lets out before Jeralt nodded and walked out of the room with Bells following close behind and the knight closing up the room behind them. It was a brisk walk to the northern entrance of the village, Jeralt’s men just waiting for orders at the entrance.

Jeralt and Bells quickly laid eyes on the three that had come to the village for help. Two boys and one girl. All of them dressed rather professionally and clean, despite being chased for who knows how long. The trio wore identical outfits, save each of them wearing a different color. The outfits themselves were well made, covering the entire body. The boy with blonde hair and wearing blue would speak first.

"We are sorry to bother you so early in the morning. We wouldn't have come for help if it wasn't so urgent." He says, facing Jeralt and letting out a small bow. This only followed up with Jeralt nodding, having been told earlier about the situation they had been put in. Though it would surprise him, Remire was a rather peaceful place with few people even owning weapons. They just didn't need it. Jeralt would be taken from his thoughts by a female voice, elaborating on the situation they had been put in.

"It's true. They attacked us while we were resting in our camp." Bells and Jeralt looked at her intently. She too wore a similar uniform, just red. Though the white hair was peculiar, it wasn't a very common hair color in Fodlan, not that Bells or Jeralt had seen. Being able to talk to a potential client was essential in this line of work, it could decide if you got a job or not. As such, the two had interacted with many people and never once had they seen someone with white hair.

"We've been separated from our companions and we're outnumbered. They’re trying to kill us and take our gold and other valuables." A third voice let out, Bells turning to face him directly. In front of her was a somewhat messy haired boy with a rather relaxed demeanor given the situation the trio had come from. It was rather unnerving..

"Well. You're staying calm, that's rather impressive given that someone is out for your head. First… Wait. Your uniforms.." Jeralt's voice trailed off, memories of his past flashing in his mind. Before he became a sell sword for the highest bidder. This reflection wouldn't last long as clinking of metal came over with a familiar voice.

"Jeralt sir! Bandits spotted just outside the village! Lots of them!" One of Jeralt's men came over, everyone looking at him as he gave the report. Jeralt rubbed his eyes a little, wiping the little exhaustion that had built up since he had woke up. It was time for battle. First thing in a fight to gather everyone and issue orders.

"We won't be leaving here without a fight, we owe it to the villagers here. Everyone! Prepare for battle!" Jeralt raised his voice a bit, just enough to let his men hear but not enough to wake the villagers, the last thing they needed was someone to panic. Drawing their weapons, the group wouldn't have to leave the gate to see the bandits that had come for the three kids. Keeping everyone alive was the top priority here.

Just a short distance away was a small group of bandits rushing towards them. They were your typical grunts, wearing cheap brown coats and wielding iron swords, most likely because they couldn't get anything else without pillaging some place. The group was somewhat organized, having a few smaller groups, ultimately creating five smaller battalions of sorts. (If you could call a small group of five a battalion…) with the leader of the group wielding a steel axe and running solo, likely due to unchecked confidence. (That and he’d rather relegate his men to other groups.) It came from the tactic they ran, small groups that work fast. The idea was to hit them, take what they needed and get out before anyone could strike back or send out for help. In truth, this group was somewhat infamous. The Knights of Serios had placed a bounty on their heads. A hefty sum of one hundred thousand gold to bring in the leader alive. The one running this group was a man named Kostas. Jeralt had seen the wanted poster in passing but never seriously looked into hunting them, they had other jobs to do of course. Not that the poster itself was very detailed. Most it said was to contact some local knights in which they would take him off your hands. Never once actually mentioning the people who put the bounty out. 

Jeralt's commands came swiftly with everyone drawing their respective weapons. The blonde with his lance, the girl with her axe, and the boy notching an arrow on his taut bowstring. Bells would draw her sword with the leader of the group hopping onto his horse that one of his men retrieved for him. Jeralt's men went to back up the kids as per his orders. Now was the time to wait and see how the enemy would react. 

The first of the groups of bandits rushed to the entrance of Remire Village, a small group of five with the leader taking vanguard. A rouge in the back would notice one man in particular stood out from the group that lay before them. It was the kids that they had been chasing, it wasn't that, to his shock and horror, the famous 'Jeralt The Bladebreaker' was commanding these kids. This was a huge mistake on Kostas's part. Fear finally got the best of him, though he wouldn't run off, he needed to tell Kostas that this was a mistake in hopes that he would order people to run off. 

When the bandit would reach the leader, he would point out the fact that they were about to battle with the very person that most bandits dreaded. The expression of the pillager would contort to something of concern and anger.

"What the hell are mercenaries, much less the bladebreaker doing here?!" He yells, much rather not caring what time it was nor his location. Kostas was never the type to hold in his impulses. This was no exception. Some part of him wanted to run, but his own pride and reputation won him over. What would people think? Kostas, one of the most feared and wanted bandits, running from someone with his tail between his legs. No. He wouldn't run. He couldn't.

"Bells, blond boy! Quick. Take out the kingpin and the rest will run. The person standing in front is the one, go!" Jeralt's voice was firm and clear, pointing at the man standing menacingly just about twenty or so yards in front of them, his men at the back glaring at them. The noble and mercenary quickly nodded and followed orders promptly.

The pair sprinted at the enemy. Once they reached attacking range, Dimitri jumped into the air to take on the bandit's attention. The enemy raised his sword to counter the airborne attack. The weapons clashed with a striking clang. Admittedly Dimitri's attack was somewhat sloppy, having the enemy sword hit the middle of the lance. Being made of refined wood, it left a small dent. Bells made a mental note of it. The azure mercenary kept her feet on the ground, maneuvering to the side to try to trip up the leader, only to meet some of his grunts. They weren't just going to sit here and let their chief go down. Jeralt's mercenaries would rush to back them up. The tide of this battle would quickly change with Bells and Dimitri knocking the leader to the ground and the rest of them, fearing for their lives would run off, even if they had clashed with Jeralt's men. The battle there would quickly end with one of Jeralt's men confiscating the weapon that the group leader wielded. He was then kept in check with Jeralt's men keeping a sword held to the leader's face.

Just as the pair finished up with that group, Claude and Edelgard had taken up a position within the small thicket of trees. Edelgard took the front with her axe at the ready and Claude drawing his bowstring back as the group leader started to attack Edelgard. Focusing on the people in the back, with a soft hum of Claude's bow, the enemy began to fall. One by one they fell like flies, Jeralt's men making up for any openings that the two strangers would have left. Just as Edelgard finished off the leader of that particular group, Claude’s arrow would find the second group leader at the rear. This single handedly took out the captain’s of those two groups. The rest of the grunts in those two groups, of course, fled when they could.

Having lost the leaders of those groups, this left only Kostas and the two group leaders he had positioned next to him.He was enraged at the cowardice of his men. Knowing who he was going up against, the only option he felt right was to charge right at them. As such, he and his two group leaders ran towards Bells and the others. Jeralt would be there to meet Kostas who had taken the lead.

"What the hell are you doing here Jeralt?!" Kostas yelled, stopping just a few feet before the horse that Jeralt sat on. Kostas' expression twisted to something of confusion and anger. Jeralt however would glare right back at him in irritation. 

"I should be the one complaining,” he answered. ”You and your men made a huge mess that I have to clean up!" The mercenary leader was rather disgruntled. Not only was he rather upset with him and his bandits coming to harm others, but the yelling just added to his headache. With hopes of ending this quickly, Jeralt rushed Kostas with his lance. Though it was rather unconventional tactics, the bandit leader was hit with the blunt end of Jeralt's lance. This was more to stun than to harm him. Quickly motioning Dimitri to move and knock him to the ground.

A brief moment of pause filled the air. Suddenly Kostas would spring to his feet. He gripped his axe as tightly as he could, charging at Edelgard as fast as he humanly could. Quickly leaping into the air to try to deliver the blow to the white haired girl who had just come out of the woods. She drew a dagger that rested at her hip. Bells felt something within her. She was compulsive by nature, she just felt the need to protect Edelgard, even at the cost of her own life. Seeing what was about to happen, Bells rushed to Edelgard's side, moving her body in front to take the blow for her. She closed her eyes and braced for impact.

======

A young man quietly rested in his bed. His eyes shot open with a soft gasp. Confused and startled, questions immediately spurred in his head. 'Why am I awake?' and 'Why do I feel like something bad is going to happen?' These thoughts swirled in his mind as he sat up, his vision still hazy. Rubbing his eyes, he couldn't shake this feeling of impending dread. His dream was strange to say the least. He was in this void, with that girl he saw when he was a child. Byleth couldn't bring himself to say anything. He felt… paralyzed. Nothing would happen, it was like he was looking into a picture. Nothing more than a moment lost in time. Byleth rubbed his eyes once more, he should try to get back to sleep now. He looked out the window, wishing, hoping things would be okay.

======

Timebreak!

Bells opened her eyes, confused. Looking around to realize she had returned to the void she had found herself in not too long ago.

"What were you thinking with that little stunt?! It's like you're trying to get us killed!" A familiar, evidently annoyed voice rang out. Bells turned around, sword still drawn, with shock and confusion as the girl she had met in her dream lay sitting on her throne with a look of disbelief and slight anger. The path was darkened, Bells could faintly make out the steps up to the seat Sothis sat at. The light focused on Sothis and her throne. The shorter girl would let out a sigh. 

"It's fine. If you don't know the value of your own life, you won't protect it. Won't you? I guess it's up to me to be around more often now, isn't it? You clearly need guidance, you were about to throw your life away after all!" Sothis stood up from her throne, walking towards the edge of the steps before starting to pace back and forth. Light followed her as she did so. It seemed like she could control the light here.

"No matter. All is well. I have paused time. Although briefly. I shall revert time, you know what is to come, don't do something so stupid this time." Sothis stopped. Turning to face Bells once more. Her expression morphing to something more confused and questioning.

"I saw… I saw some other person in here. He looked remarkably similar to you in fact. He didn't speak to me. I have some memory of him too. It's… strange." Sothis would go on, speaking aloud. It would seem that Sothis, despite being as impulsive as she was, could be lost in thought.

Bells perked up at the mention of another person. Someone else was able to see Sothis? It was a strange thought, though that would be a time for later. It was time to go back...

======

Time would slow for a few moments, just enough for Bells to get her bearings. Kostas jumped back onto his feet, gripping his axe tightly, and once again ran at Edelgard. Having knowledge of the future now, Bells once again found herself rushing to Edelgard’s side. Her blade at the ready, it was a simple task to send the axe within Kostas’s hand flying and the bandit to the ground below. Something felt… off about this moment to Edelgard. Like she had missed some crucial detail. Despite her quick thought of the matter, she was unable to come up with anything. Dismissing the thought, Edelgard turned to face her savior and the others came over in awe. 

Kostas didn’t get up, his men having run off somewhere. The bandit wouldn't be able to pull anything, not that Bells would allow. Everyone let out a relieved expression, that could have gone significantly worse than it did, even if there was something strange about what just happened. Time was a fickle thing, playing with it, even only for a moment or two left everyone confused, memories were lost when time was reversed, for everyone but the user of course.

Jeralt rode over on horseback, to his child and the three other kids. He too, was confused about what just happened. Jeralt’s expression was contorted to something of confusion and surprise. 

“Hey… did you just…” The mercenary leader was closest to figuring out what happened, but was interrupted by another booming voice.

“The Knights of Serios are here! Anyone who dare threaten our students shall be cut down!” A male voice came along with the loud clinking of metal. Looking over to see where the voice came from would reveal three men. Two men dressed in identical white metal armor, adorned with some fur to form a skirt of sorts. Each wielding an axe, though less like Kostas’s one. It was clean, refined, and hinted at how much more refined they were than the brutes the group had fended off earlier. In the middle of the group lay the leader and the one with the rather loud voice.

The loud shuffling of bandits still trying to get away could be somewhat heard. The leader looked rather exasperated when he realized such.

“Hey! Go after them! They’re running away!” The person with the refined cape and armor pointed at the forest in which the rocky terrain slowed the escape attempt. The men promptly nodded and ran into the forest after them, trying to capture any and all bandits possible. Even Kostas had seemingly gotten away.

Running towards the group, the concerned looking man eyes them all. An expression of confusion and relief in his visage. He quickly scanned over the group.

“Hm? You all are unharmed, that’s good. Who is this?” The man, holding his weapon, (Also an axe) rather lazily at this point turned and faced the two faces he hadn’t seen before. Bells finally got a better look at the leader of the “Knights of Serios” person. He looked to be in his late thirties to early forties; with a small bit of facial hair and a rather loud voice.

“Ugh… Of all people, Why him?” Jeralt let out a loud sigh and shook his head, as his hands massaged the temples on his cheeks. This was the last person in Fodlan that he wanted to see… Memories of Jeralt’s past surfaced and played in his head as confusion painted Bells’ face. Very rarely had she seen her father so… bothered. Who was this man, and why is father so unhappy to see him?

Jeralt got off his horse as the man approached him and Bells. The leader of the knights looked rather excited. Not too dissimilar to a young child getting to pick out a sweet in a candy store or a new toy.

“Captain Jeralt?! It’s really you! Goodness, Where have you been all this time?!” the man would let bellow, slightly out of breath. This one sentence raised so many questions within Bells. Jeralt never spoke about his past, it was an uncomfortable subject. So many memories, good and bad were tied to this man and the connections he had. Not to mention, he'd rather not get wrapped up with… Her again...

“Don’t you remember me? It’s Alois! Your partner! Well, That’s how I always saw us anyway. It was about twenty years ago that you vanished without a trace! I never gave up hope of finding you!” Alois was certainly a character… easily excitable and often spoke quickly. Jeralt would have to interject to finally get a word in at times. In some ways, he reminded Bells of an excitable young child.

“You haven’t changed at all Alois… Just as loud as ever. Drop the “Captain” title, I don’t work for the knights anymore. I’m just a Sellsword with a job to do. Good-bye old friend.” Jeralt let out, rubbing his eyes now and turning around. If he could get himself and Bells out of this, the better off both of them would be. Jeralt was going to have a hell of a time trying to explain this away...

“Right… Good-bye Capt- Wait! This isn’t how things end! I insist you come back to the monastery with me! Everyone will greet you with open arms!” From the short interaction between these two, Bells had gathered a few things. Alois was loud, excitable, and refused to take no for an answer. That, and these two clearly have a past together. What that was… would be revealed in time.

“Gareg Mach Monastery… I suppose this moment was inevitable.” the mercenary leader released a slight frown. He didn’t want to go, but even he knew it was pointless to run from the Knights of Serios. Regardless of if he was wanted or not. Alois turned to Bells, confusion filling his visage.

“How about- Byleth?! What are you doing all the way out here? I thought you were to never leave the monastery! Rhea will be livid if she finds out th-”

Bells just turned her head a bit. She had never heard of this, “Byleth” before and why was she being mixed up with this other person? These past few minutes have left Bells with more questions than answers. It would take a moment for Bells to find her voice in the scuffle that was this surprising conversation.

"Byleth? Who's that?" A soft voice of confusion would let out, only for the knight clad in white to shake his head. A sheepish look came over him.

"Oh! I apologize. It's just that you look so much like him. It's almost like you could be twins!" A soft laugh would escape his lips, Alois was easily amused by things it seems. The commander of the small group of knights wouldn’t let his smile leave his expression. His head ablaze with the thoughts of Jeralt coming back and the festivities that would ensue. Jeralt was and still is considered to be one of the best commanders and swordmen in all of Fodlan. Having him command the knights again would only be a good thing.  
Bells paused for a moment, maybe she should tell him that she was related to Jeralt. Before too long, her voice would work again.

“I’m… his daughter. Jeralt is my father. ” Her voice lets out rather flatly. Alois was a bit to handle at times. Boundless energy came from him and it was exhausting at times.

“The monastery isn’t too far either. Only a few days march. I’m sure lady Rhea could smooth things over with that person you were escorting and everything will be all good! Your child must want to see the monastery too captain!” Alois would pause for a moment, letting Bells answer, even if only nodding. She would have spoken but Alois seemed to be the type to… ramble quite a bit. Jeralt let out a small sigh. There was no easy way out of this. He wanted to keep away from that damned monastery but running from them wasn’t an option either. The knights simply outmatched them in numbers. Alois turned around and motioned the two to follow, grinning from ear to ear.

Sothis was watching. She could see anything Bells was seeing, and read her thoughts. Almost like she was watching a play of some sort. For now, She kept quiet. As much she would like to comment on this. She wanted to see how those three kids reacted to this turn of events.

Bells would look around for a moment, quickly spotting the trio talking amongst themselves. It wasn’t exactly difficult given how distinct the outfits they wore were. Approaching them, they turned to Bells. The woman in red would begin,

“‘Jeralt The Blade Breaker,’ Famous Sellsword and considered to be one of the strongest warriors to ever live. Former Captain of the Knights of Serios. Went missing several years ago. Have I missed something?” Edelgard would raise a brow slightly, only to the surprise of Bells. Edelgard was a perceptive one, they were several feet away and having an entire separate conversation after all. Bells would be silent for a moment before rubbing the back of her neck.

“...I’ve never heard of the knights before.”

This drew the surprise of everyone else there. Expressions alone telling Bells what they thought of her comment. Despite this, she held her ground, holding her now neutral look. Edelgard would answer her immediately.

“You really haven’t heard of the knights before? The most organized group of fighters in all of Fodlan?” Bells shook her head. Jeralt had never once mentioned this group to her. His reasons why however, would remain unknown. Claude would interject in, his trademark enigmatic grin still on full display.

“You’re coming with us to the monastery right? I guess it’s my job to fill you in. Oh! I should tell you that we, the three of us are students there. A military academy. We came out here to do some training before we were attacked and our teacher turned tail. We still haven’t found him.” Claude dropped his expression. A look of concern before the yellow clad student would continue on.

“Maybe if our teacher stood his ground or these two didn’t chase me, all the bandits wouldn’t have followed.” A sarcastic tone would lace his words, his grin returning, drawing the ire of the other students.

“Claude. You ran without telling us where you were going or what your plan was. Of course we chased after you.” Edelgard’s exasperated voice came.

The yellow clad student just shrugged. Everyone was still alive and that’s all that mattered to him.

The topic would quickly change to what had just happened, facing Bells once more, praise would come down from all three of them. Dimitri went first, forgoing manners all together and just blurting it out.

“I must say, your ability to hold your own was incredible! You showed me how far I still have to go to become a great knight! You never once lost control of the situation at hand!” Dimitri lets out in amazement, reminding Bells of an excitable child who just got what he wanted. Though he would be quickly cut off by the red garbed girl to his left.

“This ability to hold your own is exactly why I must request you lend your services to the Empire. You should know, I’m not just some student of the officers academy. My name is Edelgard Von Heresvelg, and the future leader of--” Edelgard would stop half way through her impromptu speech with Claude’s wink and holding out his hand. The white haired girl raised an eyebrow.

“Well. While these two beg for you to join them. I shall build a long lasting friendship before begging for favors. It’s honestly really unsightly for the future rulers of this continent to be asking someone they just met to join them.” Claude had his hand met by Bells. Jeralt always taught her to be professional and friendly. It was the way you got new clients, and in turn, payment. All three house students looked back at Bells, expecting something from her.

"Alas. Things like waiting to get to know people has no place in this world, so let's just cut to the chase here. Where do you hail from? " Claude quickly followed up, his slightly sarcastic tone and fake disappointment being plastered all over his voice. Bells paused. Truth was she could remember very little. She's lived a very nomadic life for as long as she could remember. She just shook her head.

"I have none. I'm just a wandering mercenary with my father, looking for the next job." Bells would reply flatly. She really didn't know how to reply. It was all so… sudden.

Edelgard's eyebrows arched, such a skilled swordswoman having no particular alignment to any of the three major factions of Fodlan was… rather strange. Especially considering she was traveling under Jeralt, one of the strongest fighters to ever take up the blade. In truth, Jeralt had been offered a massive sum of gold to swear his loyalty to one of the many nobles of each kingdom. Each time he had refused. Jeralt had never let Bells in on why that was the case. She had just assumed that it was due to his distaste for nobility and how snobbish they could be.

Dimitri would begin to speak once again, being interrupted. Were he not disrupted, he would have gone on for a few minutes about how Bells should join the kingdom. But unfortunately. A much louder, (and arguably more annoying voice) would interject between him and Bells.

"Alright! Enough idle chatter! We have a long march ahead of us and we need to get moving!" Alois's voice came as he walked over to the group of 4 people. Jeralt only being reminded about how loud he could really be. The blonde haired boy let out a sigh. Such a conversation would have to wait until another time.

The trio of students nodded silently and started to walk away. Bells became quickly lost in her own thoughts. About what had just transpired, and what that girl was saying… Sothis. With the power to manipulate time? It was… strange. Everything was normal before today. Just do the next job, get paid. Repeat. Nothing too difficult. But this one encounter has completely thrown a wrench into everything.

Edelgard. The most refined and calculating. With just that short interaction, Bells felt like she was… being judged constantly. Edelgard's expression hid something… it made Bells wonder just what was going on within her head.

Dimitri. A skilled lance user and very polite. The quick mention of having a dire need of people like her struck her as strange? What could have happened to be in need of skills such as hers? 

Claude. Mysterious. He clearly wasn't playing with his full hand. Snarky and quick to make jabs at others. His expression was… enigmatic. It just didn't sit right with her. His easy smile betrayed something deeper..

Bells rubbed her eyes. Her thoughts could become a mess if she let them. Now wasn't the time to let herself think. For now, it was time to move on. The sun was about to rise. As such, the marching towards Garreg Mach Monastery began.

\--End of Chapter 1--


	2. Chance

AN: Welcome back! I take it you enjoyed chapter one? Well. Here's chapter two.   
Like, Comment, all that fun stuff, and most importantly  
Enjoy~

\--Chapter 2: Chance--

\--Part One: White Clouds--

[Day Twenty-Two, Great Tree Moon, Imperial Year 1180, 10:30 AM]

Thin slits of light came through the trees as the clinking of metal armor and footsteps permeated through the area. The chatter of the students of Garreg Mach talking amongst themselves. Bells resigned herself to more listening than speaking. These three like to talk.

"...Garreg Mach is all of Fodlan, just amalgamated into one place. You'll see people from all walks of life here." Claude let's out with a grin. 

The march to the monastery itself had been rather calm. No bandit encounters or requests for help. Not ones that would take up any serious time. Nobody would dare disturb or oppose the Knights of Serios. That was a death wish. 

Dimitri would quickly pipe up, not wanting to be interrupted as he was earlier. 

“I would love to show you around the monastery.” A soft, genuine smile crept onto his face, turning to Bells. She would stay quiet, only nodding. Show, don’t tell.

“Well, like it or not, we’ll be arriving soon.” Edelgard let out, keeping her eyes on the well-trodden dirt path. Quickly the forest would thin out,and open up to a view of the monastery. The path they were on extended up towards the walls, and towers surrounding the place as a form of protection and surveillance of anyone coming in, or out . In the center stood a massive citadel.

“Gareg Mach Monastery. Our home.” Edelgard voices out, an indecipherable expression covering her visage. It reminded Bells of Claude slightly.

“The monastery serves as an officers academy as well as a church. The Archbishop, Rhea is the leader. You’ll meet her soon enough.” Edelgard continued, glancing at Bells before quickly looking away, going quiet.

The rest of the walk to the monastery was relatively quiet. Bells just took her time admiring the stone structure before her. She had seen many places while traveling across Fodlan with her father, but never anything quite like this.

The large iron gates to the monastery opened with a deafening creak, letting into a humble marketplace, a blacksmith, food stores, nothing too fancy. Stalls of merchants lined the path. Beyond it were stairs leading into an entrance hall. Bells was met with many smiles and astonished looks from the many inhabitants when setting foot in the entrance hall. Bells was half sure that they were getting these looks because of her father. The students of the three houses quickly said their goodbyes, as they had other business to attend to, including a detailed report on the events preceding their arrival. Meaning she was now left in the company of only her father, and the guards who escorted them.  
Treading along the path, the duo came to a crossroads. Jeralt paused and the knights continued to move along, having tasks to complete elsewhere. Then, a blunt whisper escaped her father’s lips.

“Rhea’s here.”

Looking up, stood a woman with lime green hair that flowed down past her shoulders. a rather ornate headdress, flat headpiece with three points, on the left, middle, and right. Gems adorned it, quartz in six spots in the shape of flowers with other miscellaneous details. The blue coat around her that went down to the floor. The dress wasn’t as fancy as the headdress but still quite grand and expensive looking. Fitting for someone in such a position of power. Aside from the headdress. The disdainful look struck Bells as odd. What on Fodlan could have upset her this much?

“Did the flow of time… or perhaps fate, bring you back here?” Rhea’s voice was soft, yet enough to let the two know that this woman was… rather unhappy. The woman quickly turned around and left, coming out of view from the mercenaries.

Before Bells had the time to think more, a monk or someone quite familiar in the church approached the two, a soft smile on his face. He was pretty nondescript, as a white robe covered his body. It was plain, a symbol of devotion to the teachings of Serios. Bells would find out that the robe was a uniform of sorts.

"You must be the people that have drawn such a stir. Lady Rhea has requested to see you. Please do not keep her waiting." The older man says, before turning around and leaving, just as quickly as he came

Jeralt lets out another drawn-out sigh. It was the moment he had been dreading since he ran into Alois and he demanded that he come back. Jeralt simply nodded at the old man's message. 

"Come on." Jeralt lets out a huff. Motioning to Bells, Jeralt started moving with Bells quickly following. A short walk ensued with some stair climbing. The corridors were tight and wound around slightly. It made her wonder how they got bigger things up these stairs like desks and chairs.

Bells examined the architecture surrounding her. Contrary to the outside appearance of an old stone citadel, the inside was actually quite sturdy and kept. Besides the maids and servants that cleaned the place, perhaps even the maintenance was done daily? Alas, she and her father continued up the spiraling ascent.

Quickly, the two found themselves in a somewhat large room,

"I never thought i’d come back here. Much less meeting with her again..” ." He said in a low, bothered voice.

"Edelgard mentioned that she was archbishop of the church?" Bells said in response only to get a nod from Jeralt. Bells kept her voice down too, unsure why, but her father had his reasons. Another was that this wasn't the time for being loud...

"Archbishop Rhea. She's the leader of the Seriosian Religion. Most people in Fodlan are devout followers." Jeralt quickly stiffened up at the sight of two figures coming from the room to the left. 

A tall, green-haired man approached, followed by the Archbishop herself. He was well dressed and groomed, his outfit being as formal as Rhea’s, though rather old fashioned.  
"Thank you for waiting, Jeralt. I am Seteth, advisor to the Archbishop, Lady Rhea." Seteth was a rather stiff man, both in expression and posture, coming off as a very uptight, prim, and proper man. He was well shaven too, unlike Jeralt.

"The passage of time has been long since we had last met. Was it fate that we were to meet once again?" Rhea's voice was the soft tone that Bells had heard just a few minutes prior, just, that disdainful expression had subsided in favor of a more neutral look.

"I apologize for the silence. Many things have gone on since we have last met." Jeralt utters, just loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. 

Rhea turned to Bells with an intense, yet soft look. It was unnerving. It was like she was piercing into her soul, trying to figure out what she was thinking.

"The gift of fatherhood. That is your child, is she not?" Rhea’s soft voice half announces to Seteth, only to get a silent nod from the green-haired man.

Jeralt only nodded, his expression turning to a more somber one, memories of Bells' mother came to him. Oh, how he dearly missed her… Very few things in life brought a smile to Jeralt’s face, but her. She was one of them.

"I wish I could have introduced her to Sitri. But unfortunately, she is no longer with us. She lost a battle to illness." The mercenary leader stiffened his expression slightly. Mem

"My sympathy. But at least the goddess has still blessed you with your child... My dear, what is your name?"

Bells perked up, finally being addressed. Bells’ purple hues met Rhea's light green. The young mercenary turned to her father, silently asking for permission to answer. Jeralt only nodded.

"Lady Rhea, my name is Bells. Pleased to make your acquaintance." The blue-haired girl lets out softly with a bow. When Bells came up from the bow, she found Rhea smiling softly at her.

"A lovely name, that must have been picked and gifted by the goddess herself."

Rhea quickly shifted, turning back to Jeralt. Intent burning bright in her eyes. 

"I want to thank you for saving the students. I'm sure they share the same gratitude." Rhea's soft smile continued. Only to get a huff out from Jeralt. The mercenary wasn’t a man to get out his feelings. He never really responded to praise. It was just something he didn’t feel he needed.

Rhea's piercing look didn't even seem to faze Jeralt. The man let out a sigh. Knowing what was to come. It was a moment that he was dreading. Being dragged into what he had left from so many years ago.

"Jeralt. You already know what I want from you. Do you not?" The archbishop's eyes lay expectantly on the father. Jeralt had once led the knights, becoming one of the most renowned leaders in Fodlan. Having him back would surely be a good thing for morale.

"I won't refuse. But you must know I’d rather not." The father rubbed his now shut eyes, letting out a small sigh with his response.

A frown formed on Rhea's countenance. She hoped he would want to return here. Surely it was more stable and safe of a life than the one of a mercenary? Risking life and limb for gold wasn’t appealing for most, sellswords tended to not live long. Yet, here Jeralt was, never once being defeated in battle.

"Your words sting. I expected a more warm reply. You of all people should know how dangerous being a mercenary is?" Rhea's tone fell into something of dismay. Seteth crossed his arms as Rhea finished talking. Seteth looked slightly impatient with the chatter going on. There were more important matters to attend to.

"Lady Rhea. The loss of the teacher was rather unfortunate, but it could have been significantly worse. How shall we take care of the lack of a professor? The coming school year needs--" A soft knock came from the door behind them, causing everyone to pause, and turn around.

"You are interrupting a meeting. Come in." Seteth half yells, as the doors to the audience chamber were, mostly, soundproof. The soft click of the doorknob opening let out in the room, a single boy coming in. Jeralt and Bells turned around to see who had come in, only to be completely stunned.

A young man stepped into the room. The boy was well dressed and had the same blue hue of hair color as Bells. He was well dressed and his arms exposed but wearing black gloves. Pants tucked into his boots, a white shirt underneath. The tunic was belted with a girdle before continuing down to his knees.

"Mother Rhea. I deeply apologize for interrupting you and your meeting. But Alois said that there was a teaching position opening up and I wanted to see if I could grab it before..." The boy's words trailed off as he saw Bells, being strikingly similar to him in almost every way. Being so stunned, it took a moment for him to shut the door behind him.

Bells and the boy lock eyes, time seemingly being frozen, neither of them being able to find their voice. Jeralt would quickly join up in staring at the boy. It was uncanny how similar these two resembled one another.. Seteth quickly would look between them, at loss for words. The solemn man had thought Bells looked to be strange. Only when the boy had joined them, did it hit him.

"Byleth, my sweet child. I… Of course. You've earned it. I think it will be a great opportunity for you to hone your leadership abilities"

The boy, according to Rhea, was called Byleth. It was an odd one for sure, but, it seemed somehow, familiar. Like she had heard of it before. Bells just couldn't put her finger on it. The young mercenary had heard a lot of names in her life, but nothing quite like his. It was one that stuck with someone. 

Seteth raised an eyebrow. He snapped out of his, almost dazed trance. His voice would quickly break the tension.

"Lady Rhea. Are you sure this is a good idea? I know you trust him, but are you sure about this? He has no experience!" Seteth’s exasperated voice rang out, Byleth looking slightly taken aback, annoyed almost. 

Everyone turned to look at Seteth, the archbishop nodded her head. Only to be met with a sigh. Once Rhea had made her choice, there was nothing he could do. Her word was law.

"I have made my choice Seteth. I ask that you respect it." Rhea responds softly, quickly glancing towards the two before looking back at her advisor.

"We have other matters to attend to. Come Seteth." The archbishop quickly tells him. The advisor couldn't do anything but follow her. Rhea and Seteth quickly left the room, taking Byleth with them.

Jeralt, finally letting something out after that exchange, fists held tightly. He looked about to break something, only to the confusion of Bells. What could have angered him? Sure that boy was… strange, especially in looks but, why was he so upset?

"Damn that woman.." For being so angry, Jeralt was surprisingly good at keeping his voice down. Bells tried to ask what was wrong, only to be cut off by her father. 

"Come, Bells. We need to discuss something." Jeralt’s voice fell to a low, still very angry tone of voice. Bells rarely saw her father this… upset. Jeralt was not a man to let his emotions get the best of him. Being upset and fighting on the battlefield was something that was a recipe for disaster. For something to get him to be like this? It had to be something big.

The audience chamber door opened slowly, with an oppressing creak... Once it was clear, the two left the room at a brisk pace and descended the stairs. Jeralt cautioned Bells to keep up with him. Before long, they were at the entrance gate. Few were around, Just a few merchants and other passerbys, idly chatting with each other over various things.

Taking a deep breath, the father rubbed his eyes. How on Fodlan was he going to explain this? It was… insane. Jeralt had his suspicions about the circumstances around how Bells was born, but this? Completely unexpected and out of left field.

“Bells. I know this is going to sound completely crazy, but that boy you saw. The one we saw in the chamber. That was your brother.”

Bells took a step back. A brother? How was this possible? She was born an only child, at least, that’s what she was told. She had not the slightest clue that she could have a twin. Thinking back to the boy. It was impossible not to think that they looked similar. Even the advisor, Seteth, seemed caught off guard.

Bells quickly found her voice, even if it was just a mess of bewilderment. 

“A-a brother? Why didn’t you-- Where--? How do you know, I mean, we look similar but…” Bells’ voice raised slightly, only for Jeralt to hush her. Jeralt didn’t want prying eyes or a stray ear to spill the conversation to a loose-lipped person…

“Your mother, before you were born. If we had a boy, we would have named him Byleth. Looks like we had both.”

The mercenary leader shook his head after his words. Rhea was a mysterious woman that held a lot of power. She never showed her intentions. Being cautious was the best way to continue. It’s not like they could leave now. Especially with Rhea asking- well, almost forcing Jeralt back into the knights. Looks like they were going to be staying here.

“I don’t know what that woman is planning. All I can say is that you need to be cautious. She hid your brother. There’s ultimately nothing I can do right now.” The mercenary leader looked away, finally giving Bells a chance to speak, now having collected her thoughts somewhat.

“I.. Okay. I’ll be careful dad. That woman unnerved me anyway…” Bells uttered, only to be interrupted by the soft growling of her stomach. Bells hadn’t eaten in several hours and only now would she realize that it was almost noon. The blue-haired girl looked up at her father, the ominous mood vanished in mere moments. People would start to get suspicious should they stay there longer.

======

It didn’t take long to get to the dining hall. Gareg Mach was a big place, but things always made sense. Tea tables lay just outside the main dining area for a more quiet, one on one experience. Stepping into the room, It was relatively lively, conversations going on between students and church members alike.

The dining room itself was pretty simple. Large, long tables sat on both sides of the long rectangular room with the food being served from the front of the room by more than friendly faces, servants of the church no doubt. The line was short and food was being served quick and fresh. Fried Crayfish. A simple dish, easy to eat. A favorite of both Jeralt and Bells.

With food in hand, the two looked around for an empty seat. The tables were mostly empty, people having idle chatter. After a moment of looking around, soft blue hair stood out in the back of the room. Quickly moving towards that, sitting at an empty table, sat a peculiar boy. The one they had seen earlier. Walking over to him, he was face deep in a book, studying rather intensely. The title being something along the lines of, “Teaching Tactics: How to be an effective Teacher.” 

Placing down her food next to the boy wouldn’t seem to bother him. He didn’t even seem to notice them. Jeralt placed his food across from the boy, again. The boy didn’t react. Jeralt and Bells exchanged a confused glance. Bookworm it seems. Another moment would pass, the boy flipped a page. Finally, Bells tapped the boy on the shoulder,

“Ewah?!” Byleth let out a yelp, having his concentration from his book be ripped away. It took a moment for him to even process what had touched him. After calming down, his eyes found its way to the other azure haired person. 

“You’re that girl…” The boy mumbles, only to have Bells’s hand stuck out to him. The boy politely met it with his own. His eyes didn’t break contact with Bells’s. A soft smile came to the girl’s expression.

“Hi. I’m Bells. I know this sounds crazy but… You’re my brother.”

The boy cocked his head to the side in confusion. A sibling? How? He had never even heard of her before today. Mother Rhea never mentioned anything about her… The boy went quiet. Jeralt’s eyes examined him intently before finally speaking himself.

“I know Rhea may have never told you about her. But you are my child. No doubt about it. You two just look way too similar to be a coincidence. I also know because of your name. Your mother, she named you, ‘Byleth’” Jeralt began, only to get a sharp, hostile look. Byleth was not a violent person. Not by a long shot. So to see him get so defensive so quickly was… out of character.

“...You’re the scum that just abandoned me. You left me at that run-down orphanage because you didn’t want to take responsibility…” A sharp, low voice came. Now it was Jeralt’s turn to cock his head in confusion. What on Fodlan had Rhea been telling this child? 

“Now you come back, just because Alois likes you, doesn’t mean you’re a good person. Just a good fighter. I can’t believe he likes such an awful person… Don’t even bother trying anything. I’ll be watching.”

The other two were dumbfounded. It was baffling. The expressions of both darkened from shock. Jeralt was at a loss for words. Bells almost dropped her food. A sharp sigh escaped the older man’s mouth.

“I… Why on Fodlan would I…” He began, only to get that same sharp, hostile look from the boy once again. The boy’s finger pressed hard on the page of his book. Jeralt started to speak, only for Byleth to stand up sharply with his book. Marking it, he shut it roughly and started to adjust his footing to begin walking away.

“If he was so awful and abandoned you, why did he take me?” Bells’ voice came quick and almost as furious as to how the azure haired boy stood up. It made the boy freeze in place. His grip only seemed to tighten as he turned around, about to let out some quick retort about how terrible this man was, only to come up empty-handed.

“Byleth. I don’t know what you’ve been told. What you’ve experienced. But you are my brother, that, I have no doubt in my mind.” Bells’ voice softened, as to not attract unwanted attention. She stood up more softly, and walked over to him, offering her hand again. She was met with confused hesitation. Conflict is seen in his eyes.

“Mother Rhea has no reason to lie to me…” His eyes only hit the floor. Questions shot through his head like lightning bolts. Questions he didn’t have answers to. A moment of silence between the two came.

“I want to be here for you. I want to protect you.” Bells’ voice softened. Her words got to the boy, his grip on the book visibly loosening. A sigh escaped the boy's lips.  
Byleth would look the girl in the eye finally, the memories of that dream finally flashing in his head. He vividly remembered it. There was no way that he could be mistaking it. This was a lot to process. His dream, having a sister, his dad showing up suddenly.

“I… I need some time to process all this. Please leave me for the time being.” He lets out a defeated, exhausted sigh. He turns around and walks away. Bells would have given chase if Jeralt didn’t step in to prevent it. The mercenary leader knew that he needed some space, he had a lot to think about. For now, let him think. The food was getting cold anyway.

=======

Byleth quickly moved to his room. Climbing the 2 sets of stairs, he came to a hallway. Starting from the stairs, it was just “T” shaped, The door to Rhea’s room being front and center. Moving towards the door, a more narrow hallway could be seen. Moving to the right, Byleth found his room at the end of the hall. Grabbing the handle to the door, the lock turned with a soft, “Click” noise before giving way into the room.

The room itself was modest, something similar to one of the students in the monastery, just a bit bigger. The room was lined with bookshelves, crammed full of half-read books that he swore he would get around to eventually. The ground was lined with a soft pure white carpet, comfortable and very soft to the touch. His bed was a similar color in sheets and blanket. It was almost dull. Windows adorned the room as to let in natural light with crimson-stained curtains. (Under Byleth’s insistence that he has more than one color here.) Across from his bed lay his study desk, one that he had spent countless hours studying at. It was made from well crafted and refined wood. Half-open texts sat atop it, mostly religious texts that Rhea had him read for the umpteenth time. A simple wooden chair finished the room.

The boy let out an exhausted sigh and fell onto his bed. An ethereal form manifested itself in the room. A familiar girl floated just off the ground. A snappy, almost irritating voice quickly found it’s way into his ears.

“Honestly. The way your acting is not exactly the best way to meet new people. That accusatory tone. Rhea wouldn't approve of it.”

Sothis. 

Byleth quickly sat up to meet an annoyed-looking girl, snapping her fingers. The boy rubbed his eyes as if he was seeing things. When he opened it again, he found the girl still floating there. She didn’t reply, just floated there expectantly.

“Well, what did you want me to do? These people come out of nowhere and claim to be my long lost family? They must be crazy! But that girl… I saw her in my dream last night...” The boy looked away, letting his thoughts take him before being ripped back to reality by her continually snappy voice.

“Well, she’s obviously important, you dunce!” The green-haired female yelled, she would have slapped him, but being as she was. Her hand goes through everything. Her entire body goes through everything for that matter. Sothis grumpy tone would continue through this conversation.

“It’s… A lot to take in at once okay?” Byleth fidgets with his hands, eventually digging under his clothing to reveal a small locket. Thick, interlocking metal rings coated with refined quartz. Small Rubies and Sapphires fill some of the holes in the metal. Finally leading down to a hollow shaped heart, that being connected with more interlocking metal going down some to a locket. This too was heart-shaped. Inside was a picture, painted with him and Rhea together. Standing up hesitantly, he went to his messy desk and drew out a pen. Grabbing his journal, he flipped to an empty page and started to write.

=======

[Day Twenty-Two, Great Tree Moon, Imperial Year 1180, 1:30 PM]

Soft clicking sounds off on the tile floor. The tables sat empty in the reception hall save one sole person. Bells found herself mulling over her thoughts. So much happened so quickly. It was almost uncomfortable. Sothis coming back, that Alois fellow. Rhea and her relationship with her dad. A soft tap on the shoulder interrupted what would have gone on for some time.

Bells turned around to meet Edelgard’s expectant gaze. 

“I… We’ve been hearing rumors of a new teacher. Despite being a mercenary, you would be an effective battle teacher. We have no doubts it would be you.” Edelgard would be suddenly surrounded by seven other people. All of varying heights and hair colors. The first to step forward was a black-haired male. His voice was harsh and cold. Despite this, he still bowed to Bells.

“I am Hubert. Retainer to Lady Edelgard. I have heard of how you saved her. I must give my thanks.” His voice was almost gravelly, quiet, and calculating. His clothing matched in color, hair covering one of his eyes. His outfit was simple and similar to the other students that she had seen roaming the halls. A thin sword lay at his hip, the hilt was colored a similar golden. His outfit color consisted of black and gold, the rest of his outfit was rather nondescript.

Next up was an orange-haired male, his outfit was similar to Hubert’s. Just with a lot less black in his outfit choice. (Students were given some choice as to outfit colors, Bells would find out later.) He too, had a sword at his hip, identical to Hubert’s. He carried himself highly with a shrewd grin.

“I am Ferdinand von Aegir, son of the house--” A soft smack would come from behind, interrupting what would have been a very, very long monologue about his titles and how great he is. Thankfully, another person stepped in, she was the tallest of the females in the class and stood out with her unusually normal hair color, a brunette. 

“To save you a very long speech. That’s Ferdinand. He thinks highly of himself. I am Dorothea. Songstress. Love to dance. Pleased to meet you.” A soft smile crept onto her face. If Bells had to describe her first impressions of her it would be, “Cheerful, Bright, and almost flirty? Time to dwell on these thoughts would quickly be interrupted by a loud, energetic voice.

“My name is Caspar. I’ve heard you’re good in a fight, I hope we can test that soon!” The Cyan hair colored boy lets out, punching the air, towards Bells with a sharp grin on his face. Adjacent to him was a green-haired boy who looked like he was only half awake or even paying attention to the racket that was being made.

“Caspar could y- Oh. Right. Hi professor. I’m Linhardt. I’m gonna take a nap no-” Linhardt began to walk away, only for Caspar to grab him. His green eyes met Caspar’s with annoyance. Naps were the utmost priority right now. Even if this was the new professor, his bed was calling to him.

Bells would have spoken up but, the monologues and the… unique personalities kept her from saying anything.

Next up was an evidently foreign girl named Petra. Her ability to speak a new language, wasn’t perfect. But it was commendable. Dark purple braided hair ran down the side of her head. Normally, she too would have a sword at her hip, but she had forgotten it that particular day.

Finally, there was a purple-haired girl named Bernadetta, Bernie for short. If Bells were to try to describe her in one word, it would be, AntiSocial. Bells found her hiding under one of the tables nearby. When approached, Bernadetta nearly ran off, being tripped up from the bench.

Edelgard came over, looking rather exasperated. 

“Well. That’s our class. They normally aren’t so… rowdy.” White hair flowed freely as she offered her hand to Bernadetta to help her up. Only for the girl to get up and runoff, presumably to her room. Edelgard just shook her head.

“Well. They sure are a lively bunch.” Bells just turned to Edelgard with a soft smile. Then looking back at the group of students who were lost in their conversations with their fellow house students.

Life sure had taken a turn for the interesting…

\--End of Chapter 2--


	3. Meetings

AN: I’m so sorry this took so long to get out to you all. Life got really busy with everything. Thank you for your patience! Without further ado, Chapter 3!

\--Chapter 3: Meetings--

\--Part One: White Clouds--

[Day Twenty-Nine, Great Tree Moon, Imperial Year 1180, 10:00 AM]

The monotonous sounds of rough scribbling resounded in Byleth’s room. He sat at his study desk, several books lay open, papers scattered around. Sketches of various names and insignia marked them haphazardly.

Three major emblems printed on them, one with a red banner and a large, imposing eagle. Another a blue banner and a lion proudly marking it. Finally, a drawing of a deer with massive antlers scrawling out with a yellow and grey banner. Titles embolden them, “Black Eagles, Blue Lions, Golden Deer'' Respectively.

Under the emblems were lists of names, such as, “Dedue”, “Claude”, “Ingrid”, “Hilda”, Among others. These were the students of the three classes that he had the option of teaching this year. Having finally written enough names, he sat back, taking a moment to finally organize things, matching everyone to their respective houses.

He took a look at the Golden Deer class. Led by Claude, his students were mostly commoners and sons and daughters of merchants and mercenaries. This house represented the Leicester Alliance, eastern Fódlan. The students consisted of Claude, Hilda, Raphael, Lysithea, Ignatz, Leonie, Lorenz, and Marianne. 

His focus moved towards the Blue Lions. Led by Dimitri, most in that class were knights in training. The kingdom was known for such. Being the second-largest faction in Fódlan, Dimitri’s class represented The Holy Kingdom of Fareghus. The students consisted of Dimitri, Dedue, Ingrid, Ashe, Sylvain, Felix, and Mercedes.

Finally, his eyes found their way to the Black Eagles Class. Led by Edelgard. Those in her class were mostly nobles. The Adrestian Empire made up most of the continent of Fódlan, ruling the entirety of south Fódlan. The students consisted of Edelgard, Hubert, Lindhardt, Caspar, Bernadetta, Dorothea, Petra, and Ferdinand.

A petite, ghostly form floated over him, reading his scribbles and names with genuine interest. Sothis grinned at his rather crude drawings, only somewhat resembling what he had intended to capture. Art wasn’t something Rhea often allowed time for. Silence reverberated between them, Byleth focusing rather intently on his drawings and papers, ignoring the girl entirely. 

Unfortunately for Byleth, being ignored was not something Sothis tolerated very well.

"You're so indecisive. Pick one already!" Sothis snapped, only to receive silence from the man in question. Hyperfixation was common. Once he started on something, he was unless deadset on finishing unless Rhea says otherwise.

He was tasked with picking one of these classes of students to lead. It was a bit overwhelming. Every class had its flair, with unique people he wanted to get to know. Despite how indecisive he felt, Time waits for no one. It was time to meet with Rhea and the other teachers, and pick what class he was to teach. He sat up and pushed his chair in, not bothering to clean up the mess he had made. His desk was almost always messy anyway, much to Rhea’s dismay. The audience chamber was just one set of stairs below him, making for a brisk walk. His hasty steps could be heard echoing throughout the stairwell. 

Excitement bubbled within. For the first time since he could remember, he was given some sort of freedom. So much so to the point where he almost slipped as he turned the knob and swung the door open.

There stood three people, an older man, a woman with a faceful of makeup, and Archbishop Rhea herself. The soft discussion between them halted abruptly as the boy willed the door open. Rhea’s soft smile seemingly brightening up the room. The man and woman turned to Byleth as well, quickly motioning him over.

He nodded and made his way over. Becoming the only sound in the room until he had joined them, fitting between the man and woman.

The people that were there, Byleth was at least, somewhat familiar with. The woman aside from Rhea was Manuela, The school nurse. She spends her days practicing healing magic, helping others… and getting drunk. More than once Byleth had found empty bottles of wine littered about her room. (Which so happened to be the nurse’s office.) Byleth ignored it and went on with his day when such occurred. Manuela herself was an older woman, normally more scantily dressed. (But still modest, somehow, in Rhea’s eyes…) But now, she dressed more modestly. A soft green dress covered her body going down to just before her feet, as to not trip when walking. This was her more casual clothing. 

The jolly older man was known as Hanneman. Someone who Byleth was vaguely familiar with. He had a monocle on his right eye. A pronounced mustache above his lips. Dressed professionally all the time, he had a refined air to him. His outfit consisted of a suit with a coat over it. Fitting, considering how chilly the air had been as of recent. His role here was… apparently obsessing over crests. Byleth had only been to his office once in his life. From his memory, it could be described as busy. Books lined the room, most consisting of history and crest research. In the middle of it was a typical desk.

Crests were something that Byleth had read about in his religious textbooks. According to the texts and mother Rhea, they were a gift from the goddess, and it was a gift to have one.

“Ah. Byleth, my child. We were just discussing who would lead each class. But ultimately, as you are most junior, we have decided you have the first choice.” Rhea’s kind, relaxing voice rang

This was it. The moment that he had been waiting for. Finally, he was going to pick a house to lead and teach for the foreseeable future. A choice that he didn’t take lightly. Byleth closed his eyes, thinking over everything. A deep breath escaped his lips. After what felt like an eternity, his answer came.

“I wish to lead the Black Eagles house.”

“So your heart has chosen. I only ask that you lead them well my child.”

Hanneman and Manuela nod simultaneously. They would take the other classes. For now, it was time to meet with the students that he had chosen to teach. Byleth turned around, only for his gaze to catch a familiar young girl staring expectantly at him. Almost as if she wanted something. The girl motioned him over, before floating through the door with ease.

Making his way out of the room, a green-haired blur would zip past him. Flayn. A short-haired girl with lime green hair and a gluttonous love of fish. Short statured and polite, she rather enjoyed living here. Byleth saw her as an unofficial younger sister.

“Oh! Byleth. Am I interrupting something?” A polite, soft voice came from behind him. Flayn, being as fast as she was, tended to miss out on things. She had come to find her brother, which so happens that he wasn’t here. Odd. Usually, he was constantly with Rhea, worrying over the smallest of details. Looks like she would have to find him elsewhere.

Byleth shook his head, mind ablaze with his thoughts. His class, Bells, and much more. Not to mention, Sothis looked like she had something she wanted to say… As always.

“Ah. I see. I’ve been looking for Seteth. Please do tell me if you see him.” 

Byleth nodded, only half paying attention to her words, Sothis still staring at him expectantly. There was so much to discuss… Then there was the matter of meeting the classes. 

The first order of business was to attend to Sothis, lest he never hears the end of her nagging and snarky comments. Slipping away back upstairs, into the identical “T” shaped hallway, to finally meet a very snappy Sothis.

“Honestly. I didn’t even know if you’re going to pick one.” her voice came quickly, looking away with her arms folded. Byleth just raised an eyebrow in confusion. Why would she drag him up here just to say that? There had to be more to it…

“You need to spend more time with that girl. The one in your dream. I’ve already told you this but, seriously. You’re gonna get no answers hiding in your room.” Sothis’s voice came harshly. She, despite having interacted with Bells. Knew almost nothing about them. Save that they were twins. No doubt about that.

Byleth was taken aback. Sure he had spent most of his time in his room. He crossed his arms. Things had gotten drastically busy for him. Not only did he have his pre-set schedule, he now had to study to be a teacher, but also pick a class to lead. It’s not like he had any free time on him…

“Sothis. Please. I realize that you’re curious about her. But I have other things to do. You of all people should know that Rh-” Sothis returned fire before he could even finish his sentence. She wanted to go see these two talk to each other. Forget the schedule, she had things to do and learn from.

“Maybe sometimes you should do something for yourself for once in your life. Rhea be damned.” Sothis was getting rather fed up. She usually tolerated his reserved nature, but not now. This was a unique opportunity that she refused to slip by her. Byleth didn’t know what to say. Sothis had never been this… Aggressive. Sure, she could be persistent and annoying, but never quite like this.

Dumbfounded, Byleth was at a loss for words as the girl’s intent stare bore into him. Several times Byleth would open his mouth to say something, yet nothing came out. Moments passed of pure silence. Before too long Sothis shook her head.

“Do you see my point now?”

Byleth only nodded. She had made her point crystal clear. He would never hear the end of it if he told her no. She could peer into his thoughts. It’s not like he could hide much of it.

“Professor. Whoever are you speaking to up here, alone?” A female voice came. Byleth whipped around quickly to find an imposing Edelgard peering at him intently. If Byleth wasn’t in a situation that would make him look crazy, he would have looked behind him to see Sothis with her arms crossed, rather irate. 

“Oh! Hello Edelgard. I…” His voice trailed off. How would he explain this? 

“I’d hate to interrupt a moment of vocal thought, but you are our professor now. You must come and meet the class.” Edelgard’s voice came in a very matter-of-fact tone. Edelgard was too busy to be concerned with why he had isolated himself up here. It only mattered that she had found him and would be coming with her. 

“R-right. Of course.” Byleth voices to get a soft smile from his new student. White hair turned to him and started to walk away. Byleth turned to face where Sothis was, who was now gone, most likely hiding in his room. All Byleth could do was walk with his student and meet the awaiting Black Eagles.

\-------

The soft echo of chatter filled the reception hall. Once vacant seats were now being filled with students from various classes with each leader standing at the edge of their respective tables. All students were in their designated uniforms. However, Two students stood out from the crowd, two individuals, each sporting a blue and yellow uniform respectively, stood at the far back. Claude and Dimitri spoke to their fellow housemates.

Chatter was indistinct, having so many conversations to keep up with would surely drive someone crazy, so it was best to not try to.

Bells quickly stepped into the far end of the hall. Gazing around, colors blurred together. Save two. Dimitri and Claude. Quickly traversing the hall, she was met with the smiling faces of the students sitting down, only after did the house leaders seem to notice the female standing behind them.

"Oh hey! I heard you scored a teaching gig. Care to meet everyone?" Claude hastily lets out with a smile, putting his hands behind his head in a relaxed manner. 

Students in similarly clad colors perked up, now noticing Bells standing before them. Bells simply nodded. It looks like Dimitri would have to wait his turn, much to his mild dismay.

"First. Myself, I'm Claude Von Riegan. As it turns out. I'm pretty curious about you too. Care to take this year to learn about each other?" His hands went behind his head and rested there, quickly moving on to his classmates.

"Next up. Ignatz Victor." Claude points to a short-haired boy with a bowl cut and glasses, idly drawing on a blank piece of paper. The boy broke out of his trance, startled at the sudden attention. He didn’t say anything in response, too struck with embarrassment to do so.

“...Alright then. Raphael ”  
A tall, well-muscled boy sat up, busy stuffing his face with his latest meal. Bits of food lay on his chin. As with everyone. He was clad in the class’s yellow robes.

“Hiya. Names Raphael. Raphael Kirsten. Nice to meet you.” He lets out loudly, Normally this would have been quite the disturbance, but given that the hall was quite loud already, most didn’t bat an eye. Bells waved to him. He then went back to eating.

Next up was Leonie. An orange-haired female with a sharp look stood up and got out from the chair, going to face Bells. With a small snap of her finger, Bells found herself face to face with the orange-haired girl, almost. 

“You. You of all people got a teaching job here. How.” Having a better look at her brought back memories. Vague ones, but still memories none-the-less. After a moment, Bells blinked. 

“Oh. Yeah. You’re that girl from that village we once went to.” Bells tilted her head to the side, thinking back to the time that she had seen her. Sometimes when she and her father had gone to Gloucester territory. The Leicester Alliance wasn’t somewhere she had spent long in. Surfacing now was memories of the orange-haired girl.

...Boy. Could she have been less annoying? Leonie was rather… obsessive when she had last met her. Jeralt, her father was the only thing she could ever talk about. Besting him in combat being the major thing. That and how she begged to travel with them. That was… something Jeralt nor his daughter could allow. The life of a sellsword was a dangerous one. Not something a young girl should be in, regardless of her enthusiasm.

“I still stand by my father's choice. You were still too young.” Bells’ lips creased into a half frown. Then there was the question that she expected to come up immediately since they had seen each other years ago.

“Where’s Captain Jeralt? Did you come alone?” There it was, the one she had been expecting and dreading at the same time.

A sigh escaped Bells’s lips. She would have to deal with the consequences later. Jeralt probably was gonna tell her off for it but nothing could be done. Leonie had a habit of being… clingy and uncompromising when it came to what she wanted. Purple hues met Leonie. Bells finally nodded.

Leonie’s eyes lit up like jewels. The orange-haired girl would’ve surely run off to try to find him, but the monastery was so large, and she hadn’t fully memorized the rather large place. 

“Enough fangirling Leonie. You can look for him later.” Claude lets out with a half-grin. Claude was of the mentality that one had to create fun in such a place, but there were other things to attend to.

“Next up. Lysithea.” Claude motioned to a white-haired, child-like girl, nose deep in a book. A frustrated huff escaped her lips, she put her book down, turned to Claude, sharp words exploding from her mouth.

“Claude, I swear to Sothis if this is one of your silly pranks, I’ll--” Her voice fell off abruptly upon seeing Bells. She was so invested in her studies that she had missed everything going on and what had happened for the past few minutes. Upon seeing Bells, she straightened up to meet the taller woman

“Oh! Hi Professor, I am Lysithea Von Ordelia. It is a pleasure to meet you.” A curt response escapes her lips before she picks her book up again and busies herself with where she was before she was interrupted by Claude. The house leader just shrugged.

“That’s her alright. Always busy with something, usually learning. Or cake. Don’t treat her like a child or you’ll find yourself on the end of some rather nasty magic she’s mastered.” Claude sighs. He liked to mess with her, much to her anger and dismay.

A sky blue-haired woman rubbed her eyes in the back. Bells quickly found herself transfixed on her. She looked like she hadn’t slept well. Or at all in fact. Claude tilted his head, only taking a moment to notice what she had found so interesting.

“Ah. Marianne. I… She comes from… Well, I don’t know much about her actually.” Claude’s voice trailed off. This caused Bells to raise an eyebrow. She didn’t know how long he had known her, but that struck the mercenary as odd. As Bells began to mull over her thoughts, another student entered the scene. A tall lad with purple hair stood up, very prim and proper. Claude let out a defeated, slightly annoyed sigh. Claude opened his mouth one final time to speak before he was interrupted by the boy.

“I am Lorenz. Lorenz Hellman Gloucester. Noble, Perfect, can’t wait to learn from you.” A half-smile showed. His uniform was identical to everyone else's, save a rather large rose sat on his upper chest, just above where one could feel a heartbeat. With that the boy sat down, Claude finally being able to speak without potentially being interrupted by Lorenz.

“Well. That’s Lorenz for you. He acts… like that. All the time.” Claude lets out a sigh. It seems that Claude has his limits on who he liked. Lorenz was not one of them. Claude quickly continued, as to move past Lorenz.

“Finally. We have Hilda. She’s the daughter of Duke Goneril. She’s lived a comfy life. So much so that one could call her lazy. Though if you were to look up lazy in the dictionary. Her picture wouldn’t be there. Because she never got around to submitting it.” A sly grin continued onto his face. It seemed that nobody was safe from Claude’s chargin. Bells cocked her head to the side, certainly an interesting bunch, Leonie especially. Bells knew she was stubborn, but this only reinforced that image of the girl she had met years ago.

“Professor. If I may.” Dimitri perked up his voice, now finally getting his turn to speak and introduce his classmates. Bells quickly turned to him, his face lighting up quickly. He was quick to start speaking.

“As you know. I am Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd. Heir to the Faerghus throne. I’m the house leader of the Blue Lions. Despite my lineage. I would rather you speak to me as your equal. We’re all friends here, regardless of status.” He tells her with a smile, motioning to his classmates. A varied bunch of students who you could consider the “calmest” of the mass. He then points to an orange-haired girl, who was humming to herself before perking up.

“That’s Annette Fantine Dominic. She likes to sing and is pretty cheerful. However, she can be a little uh…” He lowered his voice to the point where only Bells could hear him. Mostly as to not hurt her feelings.

“She can be a little dense. Many stories tell that she caused an explosion or two in the kitchen.” Dimitri gave her a nervous sideways glance before clearing his throat to continue his introduction of his classmates, but not before Anette gave a quick wave and a smile.

“Next up Dedue Molinaro. He’s been with me ever since I was a child. One of the people I trust the most.” A tall, well built and quiet man raised his head from the back. He simply nodded and leaned back against the wall. Dedue wasn't much for words it seems.

"Next is Mercedes Von Martitz. She's from the empire but some twist of fate led her to be here. Pretty soft-spoken but looks can be deceiving. Her tongue can be as sharp as any sword." He motions to a blonde female, chatting away happily with Annette. From the looks of things. She was a devout follower of the Serosian religion, having some religious texts on her almost at all times.

"Next u-" Dimitri was interrupted by a redheaded boy who stood up and smiled gently at her. He took a few steps forward and took Bells's hand. Similar to how a prince would for a princess.

"My name is Sylvain Jose Gautier. It's very nice to meet you, professor." He gave a soft wink to Bells before sitting back down at the table. Dimitri let out a sigh. Sylvain was always like this.

"That's Sylvain. He's a good friend and reliable. That said… he's quite the skirt chaser." Dimitri was pretty curt with his description of his classmate. Getting side-eyed by Sylvain, who then went back to talking with Mercedes about some other topic.

Dimitri quickly moved on, his eyes shifting towards a blonde-haired girl, chatting about a book or something with a grey-haired one that Bells would be introduced to in a moment.

"This is Ingrid." The prince says, the blonde girl perking up at her name. She was well dressed in the school uniform, nothing much else to note about it. She stood up, moved out from the table, and gave a curt bow to Bells.

"I'm Ingrid Brandi Galatea. A pleasure to meet you." She announced to her, looking to Dimitri as to what to do next. He just motioned her to sit back down and carry on with what she was doing. Dimitri quickly perked up again.

"The Holy Kingdom of Fareghus is known for its knights and chivalry. She's very disciplined and more knightly than most. Another childhood friend of mine." A black-haired boy stood from his spot, almost irate. Catching Bells off guard with how… almost upset he was. Before he could speak, Dimitri piped up, knowing how… crass he could be.

"That's Felix. Felix Hugo Fraldarious. A childhood friend of mine. He enjoys a good sword fight. I think he will take a great interest in learning from you." Felix just looked up and down at Bells, almost determining if she was worth his time or not. After a moment, he seemed satisfied with her and sat back down. Finally, he spoke, a harsh tone coming out of his lips.

"Whatever. Just give me a good challenge and we'll be fine." He crossed his arms, indicating that he would rather not be bothered anymore. Bells tilted her head to the side, Felix was… peculiar to say the least. Dimitri just gave her an earnest but slightly nervous smile.

"Finally we have Ashe Ubert. He’s kindhearted and one of the most genuine people you will ever meet.” The boy perked up similarly to Ingrid. He gave a quick hello and a smile before turning back to his conversation with Ingrid. It wasn’t out of being rude, more so that he was rather invested in the conversation he was having.

That was the entirety of the classes. There were a few smaller ones, a group of four, named the Ashen Wolves, among others. Looking around was just a blur of color and nondescript faces.

Just as they finished up talking, Byleth came into the room at the far end of the hall with Edelgard. The Black Eagle class quickly followed behind. Bells and the other leaders quickly turned to face them. It wasn’t hard to spot them either. Blue hair wasn’t typically common. As Byleth walked toward the other group, he could faintly make out the whispers of other various students. Unsubstantiated and wild rumors, all focused on how he even got the teaching job in the first place. He promptly ignored them.

Quickly making his way over the group, Edelgard had a soft grin, something rare for her. The other house leaders cocked their heads to the side. It was a little uncanny how similar these two looked. They really were siblings. It was only then that the house leaders realized that they had been introducing themselves to someone who wasn’t the teacher. Meaning that they had to do the whole process over again. Not that anyone minded. (Except Felix.) They went over who was who, just much quicker this time. 

Finishing round two of introductions would reward them with two more people entering the room. Hanneman and Manuella had finally finished up business with other things. Students seemed to pay them no mind as they both came over to what was getting to be a rather large group. (Even if the Black Eagle students had found an empty table to sit at.) The other two came over to what would have been a simple meeting. That was If Hanneman didn’t start obsessing over the twins like a child with a new toy.

“Twins!? I must say, the possibility of crests being passed down--” He cut himself off. Despite his older age and appearance, his mind was racing fast that his mouth was.

“Bells, was it? I insist that you come to my office with me. Just to see if you have a crest or not. Nothing weird. As a crest scholar. I simply must know--” This time, Bells just cut him off with a hesitant sigh. He wasn’t going to take no for an answer, just like another person she knew.

His eyes lit up at the prospect of seeing if she had a crest, maybe even a new, undiscovered one was just something that excited him to no end. Just as Bells began to follow him, she grabbed Byleth’s arm and began to drag him with her. She wasn’t going alone for this crest thing. Especially since they were twins and all. Much to his dismay. Manuella had just accepted that he wasn’t going to be deterred from what he was doing.

“H-hey! Whe- Okay. Fine.” Byleth begrudgingly joined her. It was mostly a quick jaunt up the spiral staircase, landing them on the second floor. Turning around and going into the hallway and an office leads them into where Hanneman spent most of his time. Grading papers and writing detailed notes about crests and whatever he felt needed to be jotted down.

The room was just as Byleth remembered. Busy, but organized. Books lined the shelves with his notes and other books on crests, both religious-related and not. In the middle of the room was his desk. A grand one filled with many drawers. The one thing that Byleth didn’t remember… Was the large purple circle in front of the desk. Hanneman motioned to it. It looked to be made of glass.

“Now. Bells, Put your hand over the scanner.” He announces, digging through his desk frantically over trying to find an empty notebook. (Or the one he was currently working on anyways.) Bells tilted her head, she had never seen anything like this. Sure, she had seen magic, both restorative and destructive, but nothing quite like this. Curiously, she put her right hand over the circle.  
A purple light appeared over her hand. Bold lines appeared, showing scribbles of lines that seemed to have no rhyme or reason for going the way they did. That being said, the lines cut off, only showing a fraction of what was something much larger.

“I’m not sure if your father ever told you… But crests are… unique. They give the holder powers that most may not have. They are passed down from bloodlines. From parent to child. It’s said that, ages ago, the goddess bestowed them upon humanity. Those who have them may excel at a variety of things, Magic, among other things.” Hanneman monologues while he dug through his rather large desk.

“Each crest has a unique power th--” He popped up from his desk rapidly, pen and book in hand. Cutting himself off as it was a pattern he had never seen before. Scribbling what he could quickly, as he told Bells to hold her hand there until it was done.

“Bells! You seem to have a crest that is yet undiscovered! Most fascinating!” His eyes had that glint in them that he had just a few minutes ago. Now the question that he had. Did both of them have a crest? If so, is it the same one? Or is it different? After finally giving Bells the motion to remove her hand, the lines faded away.

Now more prepared than he was before, Byleth put his hand over the scanner. He expected nothing, after all. What were the actual chances of them both having a crest, much less the same one? Much to his surprise, Similar lines appeared, though it displayed more of the same image. The scholar almost dropped his pen. The chances of them both having a crest were astronomically low. Much less one that was undiscovered. After a minute of him frantically scribbling the unfinished design of it, Hanneman composed himself.

“Please excuse my unrestrained jubilation. I just find this, so fascinating. I have much to consider and do. You two are excused now. Thank you for your time.” He shut the leatherbound notebook and adjusted his monocle. Almost pushing the duo out, it was in this moment that he remembered he had much more than crest research to do. He was leading a class after all. He put the notebook in one of his many coat pockets and shut the door, promptly moving down the stairs and back to the reception hall where he would take his class.

Neither had the chance to get a word in. Much like Sothis, he left very little time to get a word in. Such was the nature of obsessions…

Silently, the two walked out next to the stairwell. Neither knew what to say. 

Before they could descend the stairs, a certain green-haired girl appeared before them, looking rather. Smug?

“Finally. I thought you would never take my advice.” She announces to them, floating in front of them. Byleth paused, turning to Bells. 

“You… You can see her too?” His voice was soft, almost inaudible. Never once in his life, did he think that someone could see the girl too. Sothis just rolled her eyes. Byleth could be… rather slow sometimes.

“Of course she can see me. Why else would she be stopping and staring at me!?” Sothis snapped. Bells just glanced at her twin. She didn’t know what to say. She never thought anyone could see her either. The silence between them ensued. Sothis... Wasn’t the type who liked that.

“Are you two just going to stare or what? You two are linked somehow if you can both see me.”

Byleth’s expression contorted into something resembling confusion and regret. He felt guilty for how he had treated his sibling. If nothing else, it proved beyond any reasonable doubt, that they were connected. Byleth had his doubts… Not anymore.

“I’m… Sorry for how I treated you earlier.” Byleth’s voice continued to be quiet. Unable to look her in the eye. It’s just how he was. He could never do that if he felt this way. Bells didn’t respond audibly. Not at first anyway. She only responded by pulling him into a hug.

“It’s okay.” Bells whispered in response. She was just glad he wasn’t so… rejective of her anymore. Sothis just sighed. She wasn’t the type for sappy things like this. But at least it means they would finally stick together.

More silence ensued.

Before too long, the doors to Rhea’s office opened, revealing the archbishop herself. She noticed them almost immediately. Pursing her lips before turning to a more neutral stance. She cleared her throat, startling both Byleth and Bells. They pulled away immediately and quickly turned to Rhea who was back to that soft smile she wore all the time.

“A-ah! Mother Rhea. Wh--” He was cut off by her soft voice. Her gaze peering into both of them. It was… almost uncomfortable.

“Nothing to worry about. I was just coming to inform you of your first task as a teacher.” She answers his rather nervous composure with a piece of paper, he took it and glanced over it. In big, bold letters came the words.

“MOCK BATTLE”

Oh. That was right! He had completely forgotten about it. The houses were going to have a mock battle as a show of leadership. (Well the three prominent houses anyway.) He was going to be leading the Black Eagles into his first-ever battle. Of course, there was no chance of serious injury, this was a mock battle and just a friendly competition. The winner got bragging rights among other rewards. 

“You are to show your leadership skills in battle. I wish you the best.” Her voice never faltering. With her business finished here, she turned back to go back into her office. That would have happened if Bells didn’t speak up.

“Lady Rhea. I would like to ask a favor of you. May I act as an assistant to him? Surely being a teacher isn’t easy.” Bells were quick with speaking, as to not hesitate and hopefully, get her permission. 

A long silence ensued, Rhea only slowly turning to her with that same soft smile. Bells were about to speak up, assuming it was a no, only for the archbishop to finally speak.

“Of course. I expect nothing short of your best.” She announces before slowly returning to her office and shutting the doors behind her.

Byleth turned to Bells again, curious. Why did she want to help that badly? Not that he minded. Admittedly, taking on such a responsibility, as eager as he may be, could be rather daunting.

“Looks like we have a long road ahead of us… Brother.”

\--End of Chapter 3--


	4. Adversity

AN: Hello! Glad to finally get this out. Hope to have more consistent uploads later. Enjoy!

\--Chapter 4: Adversity--

\--Part One: White Clouds--

[Day Thirty-One, Great Tree Moon, Imperial Year 1180, 12:00 PM]

In… Out… In… Out. Byleth’s breath came rhythmically and never missed a beat. This was going to be his first battle and show off his skills in combat. Marching was something that Byleth wasn’t used to, keeping pace with his sibling was a challenge. They had just left the gates to the place he called home. The field wasn’t too far, the knights of Serios trained there regularly, meaning the path there was well-trodden and worn from the countless sets of feet that had trampled any hope of forestry growing there.

Of course, everyone was coming. Rhea included. This battle was a tradition that was repeated every year. Mostly as a show of who was the best leader and bragging rights. It was also preparation for the other mock battle which happened several months later, at Gronder Field, a show of how everyone had grown since the last one. Not only that, it had historical significance. Gronder marked the end of the war of the Eagle and Lion and the founding of Faerghus.

Bells glanced over, quickly realizing that she was vastly outpacing her brother. With a sheepish glance at her father, who was keeping pace with her, she slowed down to meet her sibling, who was conversing casually with Dimitri about combat and lance techniques after the prince had struck up a conversation. Byleth perked up at her sibling coming over.

“Ah. Bells. Are you going to be commanding the Black Eagles for this?” Dimitri’s voice came quick and earnestly. Bells just shook her head in response. Byleth was going to be leading this, proving himself as a leader. That was the hope anyway. There was no real threat anyway, this was a mock battle after all.

The field itself was a flat grassland, making it easy to traverse by everyone. People walked in a triple file line, Mostly organized by class, though some people tended to stray. Rhea ended the line, watching with an expressionless gaze, though being surrounded by the knights of Serios. Being the church leader required this level of protection.

Before long, the houses reached the field. Some confusion ensued as the houses and leaders got into place. The corners of the battlefield were marked by wooden posts, making it a fairly large place. Tradition dictated the placement of houses. Being only three major houses, it had to be a little awkward. To make the fairest distance possible, the houses were placed in a sideways “T” shape. Stone platforms lay where the professors were required to stay and issue orders.

Rhea came out to the left side of the field, just outside the arena boundaries. Clearing her throat loudly, everyone went silent and turned to face her. Rhea’s voice boomed, just so everyone could hear her. 

“Today, we gather here for a mock battle. As a demonstration of leadership and strategy by our teachers. All students here have put their faith in each respective professor. I trust they will do the best they can. I look forward to seeing the result of this battle.” Brief, to the point, and nothing more. Rhea wasn’t one for long speeches. She found them rather tiring. Everything she would or wouldn’t say would be analyzed to hell and back. The less, the better.

Alois approached the left of Rhea, announcing the rules. Being Alois, he was rather excited to do so. He pulled out a small piece of paper and began reading from it. Jeralt watched from the small crowd that had formed to watch. It consisted of Knights, students of the smaller houses, Merchants, and miscellaneous others affiliated with the church. After Alois’s preamble about tradition and such, which Bells tenaciously tuned out. Finally. He got to the points that mattered.

“The rules are simple. If two students would corner the teacher, the whole house is ‘out.’ If all the students are knocked flat, that house loses. A student is considered ‘out’ when they are knocked down. The last house standing wins. I wish everyone the best. Begin!” 

With the grand cry of auspicious horns, the long-awaited bout would, at last, commence, ornamented by the cry of a lone hawk soaring above the land.

With that signal, house students glanced over to each other, both within their house and the other students. Everyone drew their various, respective weapons, made of wood of course. Casters such as Hubert and Lysithea pulled out a red and white, leather-bound tome. Physical Illusory fire magic. It held the same force and look of any other fire magic but, at most could knock the wind out of you. Bows were given blunted rubber arrows, Imbued with magic to fly like the real things. All in the name of safety.

“Blue Lions, Charge!” Hanneman’s voice came, throwing his hand out, With a roar of the students, they ran at the Golden Deer and Black Eagles. Students from the Black Eagles house looked to Byleth as to what to do, some more confident than others.

“Edelgard, Ferdinand, Caspar, take point!” Byleth yells, throwing his hand forward just as Hanneman did. The three just nodded, running up front to take the lead. Byleth pointed at Hubert, Dorothea, and Bernadetta.

“You three, back them up. Lindhart and Petra, check the sides, make sure they don’t get flanked!” Byleth’s orders came as fast as they were concise. Now. All he could do was wait and hope they finished in first place.

The battle began with the clashes of swords, lances, axes, and more. As per Byleth’s commands, Edelgard, Caspar, and Ferdinand were engulfed in battle first, Clashing with Leonie, Dimitri, and Felix. Edelgard’s axe met with Leonie’s own. Dimitri’s lance met with Caspar’s sword, Ferdinand’s lance met with Felix’s sword. All deadlocked for a moment before pulling away.

Edelgard went for an uppercut with the axe. Leonie, trying to show off for her mentor, tried something fancy. Impractical in almost every way, she just hoped Jeralt and Byleth saw this. Pushing herself, she shifted her feet in the grass and forced her legs to jump in the air as high as she could. The goal here was to catch Edelgard by surprise with such a move and shove her to the ground. That, however. Didn’t happen.

Mid-jump a fireball came hurling towards Leonie and struck her in the chest, knocking her on the ground flat. Edelgard looked back to see a sneering Hubert before turning back to the battle at hand. Leonie quickly recovered, about to continue, only to be called off the field, much to her mild protesting.

The other two duos locked in combat were, surprisingly matched, Felix being the most aggressive. Weapons meant almost nothing in combat if the fighters were evenly matched. All that mattered was training.

Felix’s erratic, and unrelenting strikes left Ferdinand on the defensive and left no chance for reprisal. No pattern could be discerned from his strikes. It was just, hit after hit, relentlessness As if venting his anger. Ferdinand was forced to move backward, Felix quickly advancing on him before putting all his might into an upwards slash, knocking the training lance out of his hand and roughly kicking the noble to the grass below. 

Felix only let a disdainful look cover his visage for mere moments before getting back to the battle at hand. “Nobles… Ugh.”

Dimitri and Caspar ended up in a less intense battle. Lots of movement between them. Back and forth. Each drawing blows from each other, neither one yielding to the opposite at hand. Caspar was one to punch first, think later, making him one of the more experienced people in the fight.

Dimitri let out a grin, he enjoyed friendly competitions, always striving to be better than the foe at hand. He was not about to be bested by a fellow house. The prince’s style was more refined than his friend, Felix. Strike when weaknesses showed, and only enough needed. Don’t need to waste energy fighting one enemy if you can take them down easily and quickly with a few strikes. That and there are rules, some places to hit were off-limits. Like the head.

Caspar was shorter in stature than Dimitri. Making it harder for Caspar to strike the chest and offset the prince’s balance. Felix quickly joined in the fight. He had less of a ‘code’ to follow. He didn’t care that the future prince would object to joining his fight, he just wanted to end this quickly. Using his sword, Felix rammed into Caspar, taking him to the ground but also inadvertently falling himself.

“H-hey! Get off me!” Caspar grunts, flailing a bit as he tries to shove the Blue Lion’s student off. Felix didn’t really like contact, he had planned to hit him with the long side of the sword, but ended up hitting the other boy with the end of it, taking them both to the ground. Felix got a face full of Caspar’s shoe before he got off him, the referees motioning them off the field.

“You little--!” Felix swiftly grabbed his sword, about to shove it into Caspar’s face only to be met with Dimitri’s lance. Felix glared daggers at his classmate. “Peace Felix. He’s already out. There are rules here. We aren’t here to hurt anyone.”

“What the hell would you know about rules, Boar Prince!?” Felix barks before gripping his sword tightly and moving off the battlefield, looking for Caspar who had since left to sit by Ferdinand. With this quick commotion, Edelgard had used it to set up an ambush. Hubert, who had sat in the back, sent a fireball his way, hitting him in the back swiftly before being kicked over by the Adrestian heir herself.

Dimitri quickly got back up to see Edelgard wiping her brow of sweat. “Have you no honor? Such a dirty trick is--” Edelgard cut him off before he could finish his sentence.

“Dimitri. I’m just here to win. Now go to the sidelines.” Edelgard dismissably motions to him before the prince got up and moved off the battlefield. Scanning around now, it quickly came to the attention that Hanneman was rather unguarded, perfect for the opportunity to take down the entire class.

“Hubert, with me!” She calls before running across the battlefield, intent on taking Hanneman’s class in one fell swoop. The mage just nodded and joined up with her quickly. Getting mostly across the field, Annette and Dedue swiftly noticed what was about to happen. Dedue began running towards his teacher, intending to guard the professor while Annette began to throw as many fireballs as she could, ignoring the fighting behind her. (Which included the rest of Byleth’s class.)

The magic forced Edelgard and Hubert to stop, if only momentarily. This just barely gives enough time for Dedue to get in the way. Hubert just grits his teeth slightly. This was merely another person in their path to victory. He wouldn’t lose. Not now. Not ever. Dedue just stood tall, looking at them with an unreadable expression. “I will not let you pass.”

“Then we’ll force our way through!” Edelgard declares, charging directly at him as Hubert prepared another magical attack. Dedue just braced himself, shifting his feet to dig in. Edelgard jumped, pressing her heels into his hands. In response, Dedue used his strength to throw Edelgard into the air. Moving swiftly, He rushed Hubert. Being both taller and physically stronger, the idea was to overwhelm the opponent before they could do anything.

As it turns out, sometimes two is better than one. Edelgard landed in the grass rather softly considering how roughly she was thrown into the air. As she landed, Hubert released the magic he had been holding onto, bombarding Dedue with enough force to send him flying. Finally allowing him to slip by. Annette, fumbling with her book, was unable to cast any more magic. By the time Dedue had recovered, (Which was rather quickly.) Edelgard stood not too far from Hubert, weapons drawn.

A horn rang out, a male Seriosian soldier clad in silver armor motioned the Blue Lions students off. “Blue Lions are OUT!” his voice boomed. Hanneman shook his head incredulously. He had been bested. Now it was up to the other classes to duke it out for the win.

With a grin at the announcement, Byleth revolved his eyes to the left. Two figures came running at him full speed. Claude and Lysithea. Those two were almost always at odds with each other but could come together when it was needed. Byleth’s grin fell almost immediately. Frantically looking for his students to come to help him out. However, with Edelgard and Hubert being on the other side of the field and everyone else rather far away, it left him defenseless.

“Petra!” Byleth called. Having the girl turn around, not currently locked in battle. But it was too late. Claude and Lysithea stood just at the base of the platform, Claude grinning while Lysithea just let out a sigh of relief. It took a moment to register with Byleth.

“The Black Eagles house is OUT! The winner is the Golden Deer House!” That same voice came with the bellow of a horn. Cheers from the crowd burst out at once. Claude walked up to Byleth and patted him on the back.

“You sure are quite the strategist. You almost had us there.” Claude attaches his bow to his back using a few clips. The students were responsible for putting the weapons away after any battle or training session. This was no exception.

Byleth forced a smile. He had to. Of course, he was upset. Not that he lost. But that made him look incompetent in front of the others. What would Rhea think of this? He shook his head slightly. No. Now wasn’t the time for such thoughts. 

“That’s the Golden Deer for ya!” Claude winked at Bells before leaving, who was more focused on her sibling, than anything else. Jeralt looked around, everyone was too focused on the hype of the battle to take notice of him. Out of everyone here. One person was missing.

Rhea. Where was she? No matter how much his eyes scanned over, he couldn’t find her. He made a mental note and went towards his children. His hand touched Byleth’s shoulder. It almost made him jump. Jeralt never had the softest of touch. Years of battles and weapon handles left them callous and hard. Byleth’s head jerked suddenly to face him.

“Oh! Dad. Um. Hi.” Byleth fidgeted with his hands. What did he think of that? Probably not very good. Jeralt looked him dead in the eye. Almost uncomfortably so. Yet, when looked back on. There wasn’t a hint of anger. No disappointment. Nothing. What was there, left Byleth confused slightly. Why was he… Not upset?

“Byleth. You did your best. Being a leader isn’t easy. You have potential. Just keep at it. I know you’ll do great.” Jeralt was never good at this. Sitri was always better. She always knew what to say. It was stilted, awkward. But felt necessary all the same. He had to connect with his son. Byleth was quickly pulled into a hug by Jeralt with Bells joining in. Edelgard returned, coming back from the other side of the field. Curiously. Hubert was nowhere to be found. At first, Edelgard didn’t say anything. Letting them have their moment. Before too long, the hug broke up. The mercenary leader would be the first to notice Edelgard. She cleared her throat, drawing the attention of both twins now.

“My teacher. It’s become apparent that we both have much to learn. Failure is but a means of learning.” Edelgard smiled softly before quickly motioning to the leaving crowd. Most had left already, just a few knights that had the duty to clean up the training battlefield for next use. Byleth quickly recomposed himself and nodded at her comment. He did have much to learn, not only as a teacher but as a leader. 

____________________________________________________________________________

The walk home was rather uneventful. Jeralt was unusually stiff though. He felt awkward, how do you approach a family situation like this? He just hoped that he was doing well enough for his kids. Bells seemed happy, for the most part. Byleth was just as busy as he always was, studying aggressively on topics. Bells had been tasked with more menial work such as marking papers. It was something she found rather tiresome but it kept her busy and close to her sibling.

The rest of the way home was completely silent. The first order of business for the twins was to meet back with the class and discuss what went wrong. At the iron gate, the twins excused themselves from Jeralt and hurried off to the classroom. Garegg Mach was still as big as ever. Bells had spent her days so far just memorizing the place, even carrying a map with her just to make sure she was getting to the right place. Sometimes she got the placement of the dorm rooms and classrooms mixed up. 

Moving past the mess hall would quickly lead the twins to the three classrooms. Large banners displaying each house marked the sides of each classroom. Though the room itself was identical otherwise. Coming from the hall led them to the Golden Deer house who were loudly cheering outside the room on their victory at the mock battle. Next class down was the Blue Lions who were filing into it at Hanneman’s behest. Most talked amongst themselves though it was hard to hear with how loud the class before them was. At the far end was the Black Eagle house who had already filed into the classroom silently. Everyone finds the place they sit almost instantly.

Each classroom was lined neatly with chairs and desks with a pillar holding up the structure. At the back of the room was a large ornate window that let natural light in. Just in front of that was the teacher’s desk where Byleth and Bells would spend their time with lesson plans and lectures. Byleth and Bells came in, seeing the dejected, disappointed students, they both moved to the front of the room as Byleth cleared his throat. Everyone looked up at him. He was slow to start.

“My students. What happened back there. I apologize. I didn’t give enough guidance as to what to do. I promise to do better.” Byleth’s words were curt and terse. Nobody responded, an uncomfortable silence filled the air. Byleth quickly looked to Bells as to what to do. She always somehow knew what to say.

“Now, everyone. This is merely the beginning. Byleth and I. Will bring out the best in each and every one of you. Chin up.” Bells’s tone came out a bit stronger than she intended. Nevertheless, that seemed to do the trick. Everyone perked up, agreeing silently.

“As for the rest of today. You are excused. The mock battle was all that we have time for. Homework is getting some rest until tomorrow.” Byleth was about to object to her words, only to see the other classes also parading out, given free time for the rest of the day. Bells just smiled at him and went over to the desk. Now was the time to draw out lesson plans for the next month. Drawing two chairs from the desks, they both sat down to start working on something.

[Day Thirty-One, Great Tree Moon, Imperial Year 1180, 6:00 PM]

It had become late. Both twins were mentally exhausted. The other two teachers, Hanneman and Manuela had come by to help them both out, finalizing the plans for the next few weeks. Bells leaned back in her chair, stretching, Byleth letting out a yawn. It was time for dinner. The students were already there, no doubt. After classes, students were given leisure time. Students did have obligations of course. Many of the Blue Lions members often helped cook meals. They didn’t have to, but they did because they wanted to help. Dinner was at a set time. You showed up then or got nothing. People weren’t required to show up. Some skipped meals to get in more study time. It all depended on the person.

Byleth stood up from his chair and looked out the window. The warm rays of the evening sun shone on their backs. Bells quickly followed suit. Bells gave her sibling a knowing look. He wanted to get down to the mess hall. They were almost done. Just a few more notes to jot down. Byleth started to clean up the room as Bells finished up everything. They both finished relatively quickly and left the classroom and out for the mess hall.

A brisk walk down the path led to the mess hall. It was a lively place, students from each house intermingled with each other. Claude was the center of attention, being the class leader of the winning class lent itself to popularity. People generally did stay with the groups they had formed, but not today. Miscellaneous students crowded around the tables with Golden Deer students. Questions were fired off like lightning bolts to the point where it was hard to discern who was saying what.

The lines were quick to move along. Dinner tended to have people come in waves. Each wave arrived in about fifteen-minute intervals until it closed up at seven-thirty. This way people were not stuck in long lines waiting for food. Tonight’s meal was Gronder Meat Skewers. Various types of meat were lined up and slowly cooked over several hours led to a very chewy, but filling meal. It was common that Bells ate meat. Vegetables were often what supplemented during her travels with her father. Traveling so much means they often had to hunt for food. Bells was taught how to do so. From trapping the animal, to how to cook it. It was a long process but well worth it in the end.

Both Bells and Byleth got their meal and looked around. Near the back of the room was Jeralt, eating alongside both Sylvain, Ferdinand, and Dorothea. Jeralt was quiet as the others talked about various topics. The twins went over and sat down with their father. Jeralt noticed them on approach and waved, motioning them over.

“Come on Dorothea! Cut us some slack. We’re trying our best here.” Sylvain grumbled, not noticing the twins on approach. Dorothea just sighed at his insistence. Being such a skirt chaser doesn’t reflect well on him.

“Flirting with every girl you see doesn’t reflect well on you Sylvain. And you.” Dorothea gently points at Ferdinand. “Acting all high and mighty, being the ‘noblest of them all’ just comes off as… pretentious.” Dorothea rolls her eyes at the returned comments from both. Quickly noticing the twins, her attitude changed to something more kind.

“Ah. Professors. Nice of you to join us! I was just telling these two off about their approach to the fairer sex.” Bells couldn’t help but laugh, much to the ire of Sylvain and Ferdinand. Byleth didn’t respond, unsure how. The twins sat down and joined in the conversation. Talks carried on without much of note. During that, however, a member of the church quietly approached the small group, dropped a note in front of Byleth, and quickly scurried off. Nobody saw his or her face. All they saw was the pure white robe that the church devout wore all the time.

Picking up the note, all that was written on it was a short, neatly written message. “Lady Rhea requests your presence Byleth.” Jeralt developed an uneasy look. Bells just looked at the note with curiosity, as did the others sitting at the table. Byleth just stood up and quietly excused himself. Better not keep her waiting.

____________________________________________________________________________

Mentally preparing himself, he stood just outside the door to the Audience chamber, sometimes referred to as Rhea’s office. ‘What could she want to see me for?’ Knocking on the door resulted in a moment’s wait before a familiar voice played out. “Come in.”

Grabbing the knob to the door, it turned with a metallic click and gave way to the room. Inside was just Rhea, staring out at the large window, basking in the dying rays of today’s daylight. Turning around, Rhea’s smile that she often wore seemed to light up the room. She motioned him over and met him halfway. She pulled him into a brief hug which Byleth returned before pulling away.

“I called you here for a good reason. I’m wondering if you truly can teach these students. Being a teacher is such a large responsibility. I don’t want to strain you with the pressure to be the one who has to lead them. That mock battle had me worried about your ability to do so.” Rhea avoided his gaze, looking worriedly out to the side.

“Mother. I… No. I can do this. I just need another chance to prove myself. Please! Give me another chance!” Byleth tensed up. He wasn’t about to lose the position that he wanted. Not this easily.

Rhea’s grip tightened for a moment before releasing entirely.

“...Okay. But if you are ever overwhelmed by this task. I will not hesitate to remove you from that position. You matter to me more than anything in this world.” Rhea’s voice was slow, calm, and warm. She turned to look back at him and pulled him into another hug.

“I love you Byleth. More than anything else. Please. Don’t forget to ask for help sometimes.” Byleth just nodded in response. A silence ensued. Rhea turned back to the window, motioning him away.

“You may go.” 

Byleth turned around and left the room. He shut the door behind him, before heading upstairs to his room. There, Sothis was floating around. She turned to him, then looking away almost dismissively.

“She cares about you. Slightly overprotective, but she still cares,” she announces loudly to him. Crossing her arms, she waited for a response. Byleth walked to his bed and sat down, rubbing his eyes. Not only from exhaustion but stress. He couldn’t lose this. He refused to. Sothis just left the room, going off to find Bells. Leaving him to his thoughts.

____________________________________________________________________________

[Day Two, Harpstring Moon, Imperial Year 1180, 12:00 PM]

The day had gone just like any other. Classes had started in the morning after a hearty breakfast and things were progressing along smoothly. Today’s lesson was about how to properly wield a weapon. Anyone could pick up a sword and swing it around, though there was a proper way to use it. Bells had asked Jeralt to help demonstrate and teach them how to use the three main weapon types. Swords, Axes, and Lances. The training grounds often used to have mini-tournaments had been rented out for the afternoon. Training dummies were set up and students were given the weapon of their choice.

Training dummies were set out in a row neatly, all of the Black Eagles students lined up as well and started to swing at them. The teachers would observe them as they hit the dummy repeatedly, and correct for mistakes as needed. Once again, a member of the church came over to Byleth and handed him a neatly written note before walking away. Looking at the note, it was almost identical to the one Byleth had received the other day.

“Byleth and Bells, Lady Rhea requests your presence. Now.” 

Byleth brought the note to his sibling, letting her read it briefly before Bells went over to Jeralt. He was given the note to scan over. He nodded at them slowly. Jeralt would take over for the lesson while they visited. Quietly, the twins left and went for Rhea’s office. Neither knew what she could have wanted, but it was always important if one was requested.

Quickly moving found the twins at Rhea’s office. As customs and courtesy dictated, one was to knock on the door before entering. Byleth did the honors. Some shuffling could be heard before Rhea’s voice rang out. “Come in.”

Bells grabbed the handle of the door, turned it, and opened up the door quickly. Letting Byleth in before shutting the door behind her. In the room were just two people, minus the twins. Seteth and Rhea stood at the far end, waiting for them to come over.

Seteth began talking Immediately, looking over both of them. His arms crossed as he spoke. “At the unending behest of Alois, and out better judgment, we are giving you this mission.” Both twins tilted their heads in confusion. What on Fodlan was he talking about? 

“At the end of every month. You are to carry out a mission to assist those in need. This month, we need you and your students to subdue some bandits. The knights will be there to support you as needed, but this is a chance for your students to get a real battle experience. This is no mock battle. You hold the fate of your students by your leadership.” Seteth’s dire tone was counteracted by Rhea speaking up. Rhea turned towards Seteth. He always was thinking about the worst-case scenario. It probably wasn’t healthy, but he did it anyway. 

“They will not hesitate to kill you or your students. It would be preferable to take them alive, but if worst comes to worst. You have permission to execute them.” Rhea’s tone was… unnervingly calm for what she was telling them. 

“As much as I would prefer another knight leader to join Byleth, Alois wouldn’t budge. Bells shall be leading the students into battle. If only because she has more combat experience.” Seteth remarks matter-of-factly. Rhea just nodded in agreement.

“That is all. Just remember that the thirty-first is the day of the mission. Prepare all you can. Everyone Is dismissed.” Rhea spoke softly. Everyone else dispersed rather quickly. The twins left to go back and continue teaching students. Seteth walked out of the room, going to tend to some other business.

Rhea walked out of the room herself and climbed the stairs to the third floor. Once there, she calmly walked to her room. Opening the doors quietly, she shut them abruptly behind her. Nobody was to hear her. Waiting for a moment before continuing. Clearing her throat, she spoke boldly and without hesitation. 

“Protectores in tenebris, videte mea vocant.” At that moment she finished speaking. Three forms materialized seemingly out of thin air. Pitch black robes covered everything, Not even feet were seen. Magic was used to obscure their faces. They immediately kneeled at her, waiting for her to speak.

“All three of you. You are to protect Byleth at any cost. If any harm comes to him… Well. You don’t want to know. Dismissed.” Rhea was firm in her tone, facial expression turning to something rarely seen. The best way to describe it was… worry. She never let herself show worry to anyone. It was… Unsightly for someone in such a position.

The forms moved to something of a nod and then vanished into thin air.

Rhea then turned around and left the room.

\--End of Chapter 4--


End file.
